University of Georgia

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YAO LAB @ UGA

Extracellular Vesicle in Development and Diseases

Welcome to the Yao laboratory at the University of Georgia! We are part of the Regenerative Bioscience Center in the Department of Animal & Dairy Science. We are also affiliated with the Developmental Biology Alliance and the Neuroscience Program.

Our lab investigates the dual role of extracellular vesicles (EVs) in neurodegenerative diseases—both as mediators of pathogenesis and as potential therapeutic agents. EVs are nanosized, membrane-bound vesicles released by virtually all cell types, facilitating intercellular communication by transporting molecular cargos. We utilize cellular and animal models to dissect disease mechanisms, integrating advanced molecular biotechnology, genetics, and epigenetics with state-of-the-art genome editing tools. Our goal is to uncover novel insights into disease pathology and develop innovative EV-based therapies for human and animal health.

Engineering EVs for therapeutic delivery

Delivery of therapeutic in vivo in a safe and efficient way is perhaps one of the biggest barrier to fulfill its potential in biomedical and agriculture fields. We are developing EV-based delivery shuttle for molecular therapeutiscs, including ASOs, small peptides, CRISPR-based genome editing components, and mitochondria, with the goal of improve brain targeting and therapeutic efficacy for neurodegenerative diseases.

Decoding EV-mediated intercellular and inter-organ communication

We investigate how EVs mediate communication between cells and tissues under physiological and diseased conditions, with a particular interest in peripheral tissues-neural tissues communication and how EV-mediated signaling contributes to neurodegeneration.

Understanding EV-mediated immunomodulation and tissue regeneration

As a safer and efficient alternative to stem cell therapy, EVs derived from specific donor cells show great promise in tissue regeneration and immunomodulation. We study How EVs regulate immune responses during muscle regeneration and neuroinflammation, with the goal of identifying mechanisms that can be leveraged for therapeutic intervention.

Interested?   Join Us!

The Yao lab is actively seeking graduate/undergraduate students, technician and postdoctoral fellows. Contact us if you are interested in joining.