Bio

​B.S. California Polytechnic State UniversityM.D. ​University of California School of Medicine, San Diego, 2001​Ph.D. University of California, San Diego

"Our lab conducts research on retinal ganglion cells and blood vessels as they relate to retinal diseases including diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma."

Paul A. Yates, Associate Professor of Ophthalmology

Dr. Yates graduated from the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine in 2001. He works at the University of Virginia, specializing in ophthalmology. He speaks English and Spanish .

Research Interests

  • Cardiovascular Engineering

Selected Publications

  • Adipose-derived stem cells from diabetic mice show impaired vascular stabilization in a murine model of diabetic retinopathy. Stem cells translational medicine. 2015;4(5): 459-67. PMID: 25769654 | PMCID: PMC4414213 Cronk S, Kelly-Goss M, Ray H, Mendel T, Hoehn K, Bruce A, Dey B, Guendel A, Tavakol D, Herman I, Peirce S, Yates P.
  • Mendel T, Clabough E, Kao D, Demidova-Rice T, Durham J, Zotter B, Seaman S, Cronk S, Rakoczy E, Katz A, Herman I, Peirce S, Yates P. Pericytes derived from adipose-derived stem cells protect against retinal vasculopathy. PloS one. 2013;8(5): e65691. PMID: 23741506 | PMCID: PMC3669216
  • Attenuation of ephrinB2 reverse signaling decreases vascularized area and preretinal vascular tuft formation in the murine model of oxygen-induced retinopathy. Investigative ophthalmology & visual science. 2012. Taylor A, Mendel T, Mason K, Degen K, Yates P, Peirce S.
  • Construction of an inexpensive, hand-held fundus camera through modification of a consumer "point-and-shoot" camera. Investigative ophthalmology & visual science. 2012. Tran K, Mendel T, Holbrook K, Yates P.
  • Chronic whole-body hypoxia induces intussusceptive angiogenesis and microvascular remodeling in the mouse retina. Microvascular research. 2010. Taylor A, Seltz L, Yates P, Peirce S.
  • Intravitreal bevacizumab (Avastin) as treatment for subfoveal choroidal neovascularisation secondary to pathological myopia. The British journal of ophthalmology. 2006. Yamamoto I, Rogers A, Reichel E, Yates P, Duker J.
  • Computational modeling of retinotopic map development to define contributions of EphA-ephrinA gradients, axon-axon interactions, and patterned activity. Journal of neurobiology. 2004. Yates P, Holub A, McLaughlin T, Sejnowski T, O'Leary D.
  • Bifunctional action of ephrin-B1 as a repellent and attractant to control bidirectional branch extension in dorsal-ventral retinotopic mapping. Development (Cambridge, England). 2003. McLaughlin T, Hindges R, Yates P, O'Leary D.
  • A POU domain transcription factor-dependent program regulates axon pathfinding in the vertebrate visual system. Neuron. 2001. Erkman L, Yates P, McLaughlin T, McEvilly R, Whisenhunt T, O'Connell S, Krones A, Kirby M, Rapaport D, Bermingham J, O'Leary D, Rosenfeld M.
  • Topographic-specific axon branching controlled by ephrin-As is the critical event in retinotectal map development. The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience. 2001. Yates P, Roskies A, McLaughlin T, O'Leary D.
  • Topographic mapping from the retina to the midbrain is controlled by relative but not absolute levels of EphA receptor signaling. Cell. 2000 Brown A, Yates P, Burrola P, Ortuño D, Vaidya A, Jessell T, Pfaff S, O'Leary D, Lemke G.

Featured Grants & Projects

  • ​Eye Clinic Projects


    Our laboratory focuses on both basic and translational research into the development and regulation of retinal blood vessel growth which leads to many eye diseases such as retinopathy of prematurity, diabetic retinopathy and macular degeneration. We are interested in creating new approaches for treatment of these blinding diseases. Current projects are investigating stem cell therapies for retinal disease, the role of ephrins in blood vessel growth, and creating novel light activated drugs for treatment of retinopathy of prematurity and macular degeneration. Basic research in the lab is also examining the molecules that control vascular branching, as this is a key step in the progression of abnormal blood vessel growth which causes many retinal diseases. We also have an interest in the creation of ophthalmic lenses and cameras to assist in the diagnosis and treatment of eye disease. We have created a novel low cost portable hand-held retina camera that will soon enter clinical testing. We are also working on a self-illuminated ophthalmic contact lens to permit reflection free examination and treatment of the retina. Research on neural development is also ongoing to examine the growth, patterning, and branching of retinal ganglion cell neurons which connect the eye to the brain. What starts as a disorganized set of connections from retinal ganglion cells to their target, the superior colliculus, reorganizes over the course of development into a highly specific two dimensional retinotopic map that recapitulates the two dimensional spatial arrangement of retinal ganglion cells in the retina. Many of the same molecules such as Notch, EphrinB, and VEGF that contribute to retinal blood vessel growth also control retinal neuronal growth and we hope to identify additional common mechanisms between the two systems. Our hope is that understanding how topographic patterning of retinal axons occurs will one day permit successful eye transplantation.