1. Background 1.1 Pathophysiology Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a progressive disease that causes irreversible visual impairment and blindness in nearly 50 million people globally 1. 2. Current estimates of patients affected with AMD are higher than those affected by Alzheimer's disease 1.3 Although geographic atrophy and neovascularization represent the advanced forms of AMD, neovascular AMD is the more aggressive form and accounts for almost 90% of blindness from this disease. It is characterized by choroidal neovascularization (CNV) which is the development of abnormal blood vessels underneath the retina. Current treatments such as photodynamic therapy (PDT) and intravitreal pegaptanib are designed to limit further visual loss, but these are only marginally effective 4-6.