Can an antibiotic save your sight? new study tests minocycline for macular degeneration

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

* INCLUSION CRITERIA: To be eligible, the following inclusion criteria must be met, where applicable: * Participant must be 55 years of age or older. * Participant must understand and sign the protocol s informed consent document. * Participant must have evidence of early or intermediate AMD as defined by characteristic presence of drusen and/or pigmentary changes. * Participant must be able to swallow capsules. * Participant must have normal renal function and liver function or have mild abnormalities not above grade 1 as defined by the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events v4.0 (CTCAE). * Participant must agree to minimize exposure to sunlight or artificial ultraviolet (UV) rays and to wear protective clothing, sunglasses and sunscreen (minimum sun protection factor (SPF) 15) if s/he must be out in the sun. * Any female participant of childbearing potential (see Appendix 1 for definition) must have a negative pregnancy test at screening and be willing to undergo pregnancy tests throughout the study. * Any female participant of childbearing potential (see Appendix 1 for definition) and any male participant able to father children must have (or have a partner who has) had a hysterectomy or vasectomy, be completely abstinent\* from intercourse or must agree to practice two acceptable methods of contraception throughout the course of the study and for at least one week after investigational product (IP) discontinuation. Acceptable methods of contraception include: 1. hormonal contraception (i.e., birth control pills, injected hormones, dermal patch or vaginal ring), 2. intrauterine device, 3. barrier methods (diaphragm, condom) with spermicide, or, 4. surgical sterilization (hysterectomy or tubal ligation). * Abstinence is only acceptable when it is the participant s preferred and usual lifestyle choice. Periodic abstinence (e.g., calendar, ovulation, symptothermal, post-ovulation methods) and withdrawal are not acceptable methods of contraception. EXCLUSION CRITERIA: A participant is not eligible if any of the following exclusion criteria are present. * Participant is actively receiving study therapy in another investigational study. * Any female participant of childbearing potential (see Appendix 1 for definition) that is pregnant, breast-feeding or planning to become pregnant during the study. * Participant is expected to be unable to comply with study procedures or follow-up visits. * Participant is on ocular or systemic medications known to be toxic to the lens, retina or optic nerve (e.g., ethambutol, chloroquine, or hydroxychloroquine). * Participant has a condition that would preclude participation in the study (e.g., unstable medical status including blood pressure and glycemic control) by interfering with the participant s ability to engage in the required protocol evaluation and testing and/or comply with study visits. * Participant has a history of chronic renal failure requiring dialysis or kidney transplant. * Participant has a history of chronic hepatitis or liver failure. * Participant has a history of thyroid cancer. * Participant has an allergy or hypersensitivity to minocycline or any drug in the tetracycline family. * Participant is currently taking minocycline or another tetracycline medication. * Participant is taking any medication that could adversely interact with minocycline such as methoxyflurane. * Participant has a prior history of idiopathic intracranial hypertension. STUDY EYE ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA: The participant must have at least one eye meeting all inclusion criteria and none of the exclusion criteria listed below. STUDY EYE INCLUSION CRITERIA: * The study eye must have greater than 1/2 disc area (approximately 1 mm(2)) of GA compatible with dry AMD. GA is defined as one or more well-defined and often circular patches of partial or complete depigmentation of the RPE, typically with exposure of underlying choroidal blood vessels. Even if much of the RPE appears to be preserved and large choroidal vessels are not visible, a round patch of RPE partial depigmentation may be classified as early GA. The GA in the study eye must be able to be photographed in their entirety, and it must not be contiguous with any areas of peripapillary atrophy, which can complicate area measurements. * The total area of GA lesions combined should be less than 7.0 MPS disc areas (DA) (17.78 mm(2)) as evident on FAF imaging. * The VA of the study eye should be greater than or equal to19 E-ETDRS letters (i.e., 20/400 or better). * The study eye must have clarity of ocular media and degree of pupil dilation sufficient to permit adequate fundus photographs. STUDY EYE EXCLUSION CRITERIA: * Current evidence of choroidal neovascularization (CNV) as determined by the treating physician or a history of treatments for CNV * Evidence of retinal atrophy due to causes other than atrophic AMD. * Current evidence or history of ocular disorders in the study eye that in the opinion of the investigator confounds study outcome measures, including (but not limited to): 1. non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy involving 10 or more hemorrhages or microaneurysms, or active proliferative diabetic retinopathy 2. Branch or central retinal vein or artery occlusion 3. Macular hole 4. Pathologic myopia 5. Uveitis 6. Pseudovitelliform maculopathy * History of vitreoretinal surgery. * Need for ocular surgery during the course of the study. * Recent history of lens removal (less than 3 months) or Yttrium Aluminum Garnet (YAG) laser capsulotomy (less than 1 month).