ORGN 240

            A2E, a pyridinium bis-retinoid fluorophore, was originally isolated from lipofuscin in retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells of the human eye and is implicated in the etiology of Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD). We have found that significant concentrations of A2E are present in both lipofuscin and melanolipofuscin of human RPE cells, meaning that A2E is likely more involved in AMD than originally thought. Evidence shows that A2E is not cytotoxic alone, but becomes lethal when exposed to blue light. The light mechanism involved in A2E toxicity can be controlled and used to trigger cytotoxicity in cancer cell lines. We will describe the implications of A2E in AMD and the applications of A2E’s light triggered cytotoxicity as a possible chemotherapeutic treatment.