Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of vision loss in 
older adults and ultimately leads to the death of photoreceptor cells in the 
macular area of the neural retina. Currently, treatments are only available for 
patients with the wet form of AMD. In this review, we describe recent approaches 
to develop cell-based therapies for the treatment of AMD. Recent research has 
focused on replacing the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), a monolayer of cells 
vital to photoreceptor cell health. We discuss the various methods used to 
differentiate and purify RPE from human embryonic stem cells (HESC), and 
describe the surgical approaches being used to transplant these cells in 
existing and forthcoming clinical trials.