Joanna Gaines is making her return to television, but this time she'll be doing things without her husband, Chip The design expert has announced plans for a new series called Mini Reni which will air on the couple's Magnolia Network The show will showcase Gaines' in her natural element: Revamping old tired spaces without the giant renovation aspect — which is why Chip won't be involved in the project “What I love about Mini Reni is the freedom to go all-in on just one or two smaller spaces,” the Fixer Upper star tells Variety “These aren’t whole-house renovations so the heart behind the show is to inspire people to design their home gradually "so that instead of having to wrap your mind around the million details that go into a bigger renovation you can enjoy the process of creating beauty by narrowing in and embracing the small details that really tell your story." Mini Reni will follow Gaines as she takes on several miniature makeover projects that come with a tight deadline "With only a week to transform three rooms, she faces the clock and a tight budget in each thrilling episode," the show's description reads "Can she rejuvenate these tired spaces with her signature touch Watch as Joanna breathes new life into every nook and cranny masterfully combining elegance with affordability." These projects will not need big "Demo Days" like Fixer Upper was known for therefore Chip won't be involved in the renovation process that doesn't mean Joanna's family members won't pop up on screen occasionally The Gaines family — including their five children — were a big part of the couples' first series Mini Reni is set to premiere on May 14 on Magnolia Network Fans can also access the series on the Magnolia app a single season with nine episodes has been filmed with each installment airing weekly on Wednesdays at 8PM ET Gallery Credit: Sterling Whitaker She won't need Chip for this one.\nRead More Joanna Gaines is making her return to television, but this time she'll be doing things without her husband, Chip The design expert has announced plans for a new series called Mini Reni “What I love about Mini Reni is the freedom to go all-in on just one or two smaller spaces,” the Fixer Upper star tells Variety "With only a week to transform three rooms, she faces the clock and a tight budget in each thrilling episode," the show's description reads. "Can she rejuvenate these tired spaces with her signature touch? Watch as Joanna breathes new life into every nook and cranny, masterfully combining elegance with affordability." View this post on Instagram A post shared by Magnolia Network (@magnolianetwork) The Magnolia Network founder has a new solo series premiering May 14 and PEOPLE is sharing the trailer exclusively Mackenzie Schmidt is the Home and Travel Editor for PEOPLE She's worked at PEOPLE for over five years as a writer and editor on the Lifestyle team By Uwa Ede-OsifoBreaking Features Reporter which will air on Max and Magnolia Network on Wednesdays beginning May 14 The nine-episode series finds the Waco-based interior designer riding solo and operating on a smaller scale than in Fixer Upper the home makeover show that made her and husband so the heart behind the show is to inspire people to design their home gradually,” Gaines said in a Wednesday statement “Instead of having to wrap your mind around the million details that go into a bigger renovation and embracing the small details that really tell your story.” News RoundupsCatch up on the day's news you need to know GoogleFacebookBy signing up you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy Mini Reni’s pilot aired in 2023. For that episode, Gaines renovated three rooms with a budget under $15,000. In an Instagram post Wednesday, she shared the origins of Mini Reni. “A few years ago, I helped a friend with a small, quick renovation that we called Mini Reni. It was so much fun that we started doing more and more of these smaller sized projects all over Waco, and eventually made it into a show!” she wrote in the caption. Thank you for reading. We welcome your thoughts on this topic. 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Subscriptions and advertising are both necessary to fund the journalism we bring to you. Your Ads Privacy ChoicesIMDb will present updated safety and efficacy data in 28 patients living with severe sickle cell disease (SCD) treated with renizgamglogene autogedtemcel (reni-cel; formerly known as EDIT-301) in the Phase 1/2/3 RUBY clinical trial Department of Pediatric Hematology Oncology and Blood and Marrow Transplantation during a poster presentation at the American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting in San Diego In the RUBY trial as of the data cutoff date (October 29 reni-cel was well-tolerated and continued to demonstrate a safety profile consistent with myeloablative busulfan conditioning and autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplant by all patients (N=28) Patients were at a median of 9.5 months post-reni-cel infusion with 11 patients having >1 year follow-up 27 of the 28 patients were free of vaso-occlusive events (VOEs) Patients were observed to have early normalization of total hemoglobin with a mean total hemoglobin increasing from 9.8 g/dL at baseline to 13.8 g/dL at Month 6 (n=18) Patients were also observed to have rapid and sustained improvements in fetal hemoglobin (HbF) ≥40% and mean corpuscular concentration (MCH-F) of HbF per F-cells sustained clinically meaningful improvements were observed in patient-reported outcome domains for pain Efficacy data in Patients with Severe Sickle Cell DiseasePatients were a median (range) of 9.5 (0.7–25.2) months post-reni-cel infusion robust increases and sustained levels of total Hb and HbF the mean total Hb was 13.8 g/dL with a mean HbF percentage of 48.1% (n=18) The mean percentage of F-cells increased early and was sustained at >90% from month 4 through last follow-up (n=20) MCH-F of HbF-containing red cells (F-cells) increased early with mean value of 16.3 pg/F-cells at month 4 visit and sustained above the anti-sickling threshold of 10 pg/F-cell through last follow-up improved or normalized by Month 6 and were generally maintained or improved as of last follow-up Sustained clinically meaningful improvements were observed in pain and social patient-reported outcome domains following treatment with reni-cel​ Safety data in Patients with Severe Sickle Cell DiseaseReni-cel was well-tolerated and demonstrated a safety profile consistent with myeloablative conditioning with busulfan and autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplant by all evaluated RUBY trial patients (N=28) all evaluable patients (n=27) achieved successful engraftment; with median time to neutrophil engraftment of 23 days and median time to platelet engraftment of 25 days which is important for limiting infection and bleeding risk Two serious adverse events (SAEs) assessed by the investigators as possibly related to reni-cel treatment have been reported in the RUBY trial RUBY Poster Presentation Details: Title: Reni-Cel an Investigational AsCas12a Gene-Edited Cell Medicine Led to Sustained Hemoglobin Normalization and Increased Fetal Hemoglobin in Patients with Severe Sickle Cell Disease Treated in the RUBY TrialPresenting Author: Rabi Hanna The poster can be accessed on the Editas Medicine website in the posters and presentations section About renizgamglogene autogedtemcel (reni-cel)Reni-cel is an experimental gene editing medicine under investigation for the treatment of severe sickle cell disease (SCD) and transfusion-dependent beta thalassemia (TDT) Reni-cel consists of patient-derived CD34+ hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells edited at the gamma globin gene (HBG1 and HBG2) promoters where naturally occurring fetal hemoglobin (HbF) inducing mutations reside Red blood cells derived from reni-cel CD34+ cells demonstrate a sustained increase in fetal hemoglobin production which has the potential to provide a one-time durable treatment benefit for people living with severe SCD and TDT Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements and information within the meaning of The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 The words ‘‘anticipate,’’ ‘‘believe,’’ ‘‘continue,’’ ‘‘could,’’ ‘‘estimate,’’ ‘‘expect,’’ ‘‘intend,’’ ‘‘may,’’ ‘‘plan,’’ ‘‘potential,’’ ‘‘predict,’’ ‘‘project,’’ ‘‘target,’’ ‘‘should,’’ ‘‘would,’’ and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words Forward-looking statements in this press release include statements regarding the potential of The Company may not actually achieve the plans or expectations disclosed in these forward-looking statements and you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements Actual results or events could differ materially from the plans intentions and expectations disclosed in these forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors including: uncertainties inherent in the initiation and completion of clinical trials and clinical development of the Company’s product candidates including reni-cel; whether interim results from a clinical trial will be predictive of the final results of the trial or the results of future trials; expectations for regulatory approvals to conduct trials or to market products and availability of funding sufficient for the Company’s foreseeable and unforeseeable operating expenses and capital expenditure requirements These and other risks are described in greater detail under the caption “Risk Factors” included in the Company’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K which is on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission as updated by the Company’s subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission and in other filings that the Company may make with the Securities and Exchange Commission in the future Any forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak only as of the date hereof and the Company expressly disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements The author will serve as editor-at-large of Monument Books helping to find authors that champion ‘ideas as well as uplifting or refashioning past legacies’ the author of the 2017 bestseller Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race has launched an imprint with the publisher HarperCollins Monument Books will publish titles by writers “who can help us understand our past, navigate our present and map new futures”, said Kishani Widyaratna the HarperCollins imprint with which Monument Books is being launched in collaboration Eddo-Lodge said she started Monument Books to “pay it forward” Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race Eddo-Lodge had sold more than a million books becoming the first black writer to top the British book charts I thought carefully about the responsibility that my position has afforded me and I wanted to create something with a collective spirit,” she said The imprint will launch in February next year with a book compiled by Steve McQueen. Resistance, a photographic history of activism in Britain, also features writing by Gary Younge, Paul Gilroy and Shami Chakrabarti. It accompanies an exhibition at Margate’s Turner Contemporary which opens in February. Read more“I’ve always admired Steve McQueen’s work,” said Eddo-Lodge human stories – that are also part of the ethos of the imprint He’s an excellent visual storyteller and I trusted his eye to tell these stories of resistance in a fresh way.” The name Monument is “derived from the idea of each work on the list standing as a new monument to ideas as well as uplifting or refashioning past legacies,” said 4th Estate “The aspiration is that each title will become a landmark on a reader’s journey of discovery through the list and beyond It also borrows from the idea of a monument as a meeting place and books as a point of connection.” The imprint will publish three books a year – mostly nonfiction look for interesting authors” and work with the 4th Estate team to “bring [authors’] work to life” and I know what it takes to turn a blank page into something that people want to read,” said Eddo-Lodge adding that she is “excited” to see how the list evolves Free weekly newsletterDiscover new books and learn more about your favourite authors with our expert reviews won the Jhalak prize and the British Book award for a work of narrative nonfiction and was longlisted for the Baillie Gifford and Orwell prizes “At a time when the world feels increasingly polarised and uncertain it is a privilege for us to be working with Reni Eddo-Lodge on an imprint that will help connect readers to the world around them and to each other,” said Widyaratna This article was amended on 19 December 2024 to more accurately refer to Reni Eddo-Lodge as the first black writer Reni Windari MPA/ID 2025 and Ian Nurseto MPA/ID 2025 met with prospective students in Jakarta, Indonesia to discuss the Master in Public Administration in International Development (MPA/ID) Program Here’s what Reni shared about the event.  Since Ian and I were conducting fieldwork for our Second Year Policy Analysis (SYPA) project in Jakarta Our motivation was twofold: to share our journey of applying to graduate school and our experiences at Harvard and to encourage greater Indonesian representation.   we conducted fieldwork involving consultations with key stakeholders to develop practical policy recommendations.  Many MPA/ID students, including Ian and me, don’t have a background in economics, so we had to complete prerequisites before enrolling We recommend starting to prepare early to manage the workload and avoid challenges when planning to move abroad informal social activities such as weekly small group dinners and “unfiltered” sharing sessions provide supportive spaces for connection and exchanging personal experiences.  we recommend reflecting on your unique purpose Understand your passions and areas of interest and how you aim to contribute these at HKS and afterwards you can shape a meaningful and rewarding journey Some prospective students worry about unchangeable circumstances the Admissions Committee takes a holistic approach when evaluating applications and continue demonstrating leadership and commitment to development through your work and experiences Applying to the MPA/ID Program can feel overwhelming break the process into manageable milestones and celebrate small wins to stay motivated and focused on your ultimate goal.  Reni Windari MPA/ID 2025, an MoF’s Ministerial Scholarship awardee has a decade of experience with Indonesia’s Ministry of Finance Her latest work focused on managing Indonesia’s education endowment funds Passionate about public finance and education Reni aims to enhance access and equality in education across developing countries by optimizing government support and global partnerships.  Ian Nurseto MPA/ID 2025 is an LPDP awardee with a decade of experience in the Ministry of Finance’s Directorate General of Taxes he served as a Tax Crime Policy Analyst focusing on combating tax and economic crimes with expertise in policymaking and management at national and international levels He holds a bachelor’s degree in applied science in accounting and has knowledge in public finance will dive into home renovation on a smaller scale with Mini Reni and with three tiers available to choose from you have more control over what you want to pay You can also prepay for a year and save up to 20% Mini Reni taps into the appeal of renovation shows like Fixer Upper but differs by emphasizing smaller-scale remodels Rather than tackle the tremendous redesign of a whole home Joanna Gaines will zero in on one or two spaces and focus on making that small part of the home look as great as possible She might've gotten buff and in shape to tackle massive projects the focus this time is on the smaller things For those still missing Fixer Upper all these years later I used to love watching Fixer Upper and still enjoy throwing on new and upcoming HGTV shows to see people turn underwhelming houses into something amazing I'm forced to confront the reality that I'm never going to be someone with all that's required to renovate an entire house and that kills the fun out of watching for me just a bit What I am capable of is redesigning a single room and/or working on a smaller-scaled home renovation project I've put forth the effort with quite a few of those in the last decade which is why Mini Reni is a pretty appealing idea Maybe this will inspire me to make some big changes to my current living space or I'll just enjoy a new series and continue to dream that I'll be a home renovator whilst doing none of the work to do so As for what kinds of designs I'd like to see the show tackle I would love to see Mini Reni take on a child's bedroom or a balcony space I'm in desperate need of more innovation for both and would welcome an episode that gives me some fresh ideas to redesign those spaces and make them feel even more welcoming and I'm already looking outside thinking about how I can switch things up be sure to tune into Magnolia or Max for the premiere of Mini Reni Tune in to see Joanna Gaines back at it with her classic design style and see if she's still praising the use of shiplap walls but he also regularly reports on happenings in the world of Star Trek He graduated from the University of Southern Indiana with a degree in Journalism and a minor in Radio and Television He's great at hosting panels and appearing on podcasts if given the chance as well you will then be prompted to enter your display name Why The Defense Will Have A 'Much More Difficult Time' Picking Jurors In The Diddy Court Case Now I'm Just Hoping Netflix Gives Us A Second Season I’m Keeping Tabs On All The Times Ana De Armas And Tom Cruise Have Been Spotted Together (So Far) The gene editing company will focus on “in vivo” medicines while seeking to license out or find a partner for its clinical-stage treatment reni-cel Editas Medicine is pivoting once again, announcing Tuesday that it will seek a partner to advance its lead gene editing therapy or potentially out-license rights to the treatment entirely but it’s likely at least several years from an approval of its own “We believe that the best option for both patients and our shareholders is for us to seek an alternative such as a global partner or out-licensing which would allow for further development and ultimately commercialization of reni-cel with or by another party and would allow us to substantially reduce spend in 2025,” said Gilmore O’Neill Editas has hired the investment bank Moelis & Company to lead its search for a partner or acquirer A deal, if reached, would pass on the challenge of reaching market to a better-resourced firm. But it also leaves Editas hitting reset two years after the biotechnology company turned away from using CRISPR gene editing to treat diseases of the eye Now, Editas is turning its focus to “in vivo” gene editing where a CRISPR therapy does its work modifying genes after it’s infused into the body Reni-cel and Casgevy are both built from a patient’s own stem cells which are collected and then edited in a laboratory Editas also shared preclinical data that it described as “proof of concept” for using CRISPR gene editing in vivo to treat sickle cell and beta thalassemia Working with mice engrafted with human stem cells company researchers were able to shuttle CRISPR tools into the cells where they edited a specific part of the genome that helps to govern production of a fetal form of the blood protein hemoglobin Turning fetal hemoglobin back on is known to help protect people with sickle cell and beta thalassemia from disease symptoms are also designed to boost fetal hemoglobin production An in vivo medicine would hold advantages over reni-cel and Casgevy most notably removing the need for preparatory chemotherapy treatment that comes with safety risks as a patient’s stem cells wouldn’t need to be shipped back to central manufacturing laboratories like the research journeys of reni-cel and Casgevy Editas is also considering how else it might use its drug delivery technology to bring in vivo gene editing to harder-to-reach tissues outside of the liver Editas estimates it will end the third quarter with about $320 million in cash cash equivalents and marketable securities “Whether a partnership comes to fruition — and under what financial terms — is a point of interest [Editas]’s intention for capital-efficient development should be a step in a positive direction,” wrote Dae Gon Ha Shares in Editas fell by about 8% Tuesday morning after rising Monday afternoon. The company on Monday announced a research collaboration with Genevant Sciences Get the free daily newsletter read by industry experts Marks’ resignation leaves the field without a regulator many view as “integral” to its progress over the last decade Recent biotech company acquisitions have put emerging schizophrenia treatments in focus But many development hurdles still stand in the way of new medicines for the brain Subscribe to the BioPharma Dive free daily newsletter The free newsletter covering the top industry headlines Joanna Gaines is branching out on her own for her new renovation series Mini Reni, coming to Max and Magnolia Network this spring. After previously proving she could “transform a space in less than a week” with a 2023 half-hour special of the same name Gaines is turning the concept into a full-blown series Per Variety “Known for her large-scale renovations Joanna Gaines takes on a series of ‘mini’ projects with quick timelines creative additions to transform smaller spaces with big impact.” “What I love about Mini Reni is the freedom to go all-in on just one or two smaller spaces These aren’t whole-house renovations so that instead of having to wrap your mind around the million details that go into a bigger renovation The first season of Mini Reni will feature nine episodes The new episodes will be released weekly on Wednesdays at 8 p.m While Gaines’ husband, Chip Gaines, won’t be working on the show with his wife, he will serve as a producer (Joanna is producing, as well). The Gaines’ are best known for their series Fixer Upper which debuted in 2013 and aired for five seasons before ending in 2018 The couple then branched out by creating their own media company, Magnolia Network. To go with the network’s official launch in 2021, Chip and Joanna released one season of the spinoff Fixer Upper: Welcome Home Sign Up News These findings build off research from March 2023 that demonstrated efficacy and safety of renizgamglogene autogedtemcel in patients with sickle cell disease an experimental 1-time gene editing cell therapy was well-tolerated in patients with sickle cell disease (SCD) and no serious adverse events (AEs) were observed The findings were presented at the European Hematology Association (EHA) 2024 Hybrid Congress in Madrid Image credit: extender_01 | stock.adobe.com and tolerability of treatment with reni-cel which is a treatment consisting of autologous gene edited CD34+ hematopoietic stem cells that corrects the mutation responsible for SCD in adult and adolescent patients with severe SCD which was defined as 2 or more severe vaso-occlusive events (VOEs) per year during the 2-year period prior to informed consent A total of 18 patients aged 18 to 50 years were enrolled in the trial and received 1-time intravenous infusions of reni-cel following myeloablative conditioning with busulfan The patients underwent a procedure where their stem cells were collected for gene editing then received chemotherapy to clear any remaining bone marrow which makes room for the repaired cells later infused back into the body.1-3 The primary end point for this trial was the proportion of patients achieving complete resolution of severe VOEs which is measured up to 2 years following reni-cel infusion secondary end points included proportion of patients achieving complete resolution of VOEs number of patients with 90% reduction in annualized rate of severe VOE compared to pre-treatment the number of patients with 75% and 50% reduction in annualized rate of severe VOEs compared to pre-treatment changes from baseline in total hemoglobin (Hb) and HbF concentrations all of which were assessed up to 2 years following reni-cel infusion.2 Trial Name: A Study Evaluating the Safety and Efficacy of EDIT-301 in Participants With Severe Sickle Cell Disease (RUBY) the patients enrolled tolerated reni-cel infusion without any serious AEs patients had all successfully regained their white blood cells and platelets and were free of painful events since treatment those followed for 5 months or longer were observed to have their anemia resolved.1 Earlier findings from March 2023 that detailed 4 patients who received reni-cel treatment were published in Hemasphere during August 2023 patients 1 and 2 were 8 and 4 months post-reni-cel infusion and patients 3 and 4 were less than 1 month post-reni-cel infusion patients 1 was shown to achieve neutrophil and platelet engraftment within 23 and 19 days Patient 1 had Hb increase from 4.5 g/dL from baseline to 16.4 g/dL at 6 months and patient 2 had an increase from 3.6 g/dL at baseline to 12.1 g/dL at 3 months following reni-cel infusion all markers of hemolysis improved or normalized and editing levels in peripheral blood nucleated cells were mover 80% in both patients.3 these 2 patients were also had no reported VOEs and demonstrated normal Hb concentrations and HbF levels of 35% or more The safety profile of reni-cel was shown to be consistent with myeloablative conditioning with busulfan The patients were also observed to have no AEs related to reni-cel “It’s encouraging that this gene-editing treatment continues to show promising efficacy for sickle cell patients,” said the trial’s presenting investigator Rabi Hanna chairman of the division of pediatric hematology oncology and blood and marrow transplantation at Cleveland Clinic Children’s Hospital “These latest results offer hope that this new experimental treatment will continue to show progress and get us closer to a functional cure for this devastating disease.”1 GPRC5D-Targeted CAR T-Cell Therapy Shows Promise After BCMA Treatment Failure The AQUILA Debate: Daratumumab for Treatment of Smoldering Multiple Myeloma Pharmacist-Led Care in Palliative Settings: Using Anticholinergics Thoughtfully and Compassionately Pharmacy Focus: Oncology Edition – Key Insights and Interviews From the 2024 SABCS Meeting Research Identifies Need for Increased Evidence-Based Use of Buspirone Community Oncology Faces Crossroads Under the Inflation Reduction Act 609-716-7777 According to new research presented at the 2024 Annual European Hematology Association (EHA) Congress Vertex and Editas continue to provide positive results for patients with transfusion-dependent beta thalassemia (TDT) or severe sickle cell disease (SCD) Vertex announced encouraging long-term results for CASGEVY the only FDA-approved CRISPR-based gene-editing treatment (exagamglogene autotemcel [exa-cel]) with the longest follow-up period currently exceeding five years a CRISPR gene-edited cell therapy for TDT and SCD was shown to be safe and effective in clinical trials by Editas (previously known as EDIT-301) The ongoing post-approval global trial for CASGEVY an ex vivo CRISPR/Cas9 gene-edited cell therapy that is non-viral and available to eligible patients with TDT or SCD demonstrates that the treatment has transformative These findings are based on data from over a hundred patients (46 SCD; 56 TDT) who received CASGEVY which involves editing a patient’s own hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells at the erythroid-specific enhancer region of the BCL11A gene using a precise DNA double-strand break The safety profile of exa-cel was found to be mostly in line with autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and myeloablative conditioning with busulfan A successful editing of the long-term hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) was indicated by the stable levels of edited BCL11A alleles in bone marrow and peripheral blood over time in both SCD and TDT patients all patients who received CASGEVY showed engraftment of platelets and neutrophils indicative of HSCs capable of generating a hematopoietic repertoire The effectiveness findings for CASGEVY align with the previously reported analyses of primary and important secondary endpoints from these exa-cel studies The findings consistently demonstrate substantial clinical improvement along with sustained and consistent levels of fetal hemoglobin (HbF) 92.3% (36 out of 39) and 97.4% (38 out of 39) of those who had at least 16 months of follow-up did not experience vaso-occlusive crises (VOCs) and hospitalizations related to VOCs for at least 12 consecutive months (VF12) These findings align with the previously reported data on the main objective The average duration of VOC-free was 27.9 months Out of the evaluable patients in TDT 49/52 (94.2%) those who were followed up for at least 16 months were able to go without transfusions for a minimum of 12 consecutive months Their average weighted hemoglobin (Hb) level was at least 9 g/dL (TI12) which aligns with the primary endpoint data reported earlier The average length of time during which transfusion independence was maintained was 31.0 months All TDT patients who received treatment for a minimum of 16 months have not required any further blood transfusions Two of the three TDT patients who did not achieve TI12 in the initial clinical trial achieved TI12 in the long-term follow-up study and have been transfusion independent for over one year The third TDT patient has been transfusion-free for 3.4 months Editas Medicine also presented new safety and efficacy data for reni-cel in the Phase I/II/III RUBY trial for patients with sickle cell disease (SCD) and the Phase I/II EdiTHAL trial for patients with transfusion-dependent thalassemia (TDT) at the 2024 EHA Congress Reni-cel differs from CASGEVY in that it employs a different RNA-guided editor making it the first experimental Cas12a gene-edited cell therapy medicine It also has a different genetic target (the HBG1/2 promoter) than CASGEVY which uses Cas9 to target the BCL11A enhancer There have been no reported side effects in the RUBY trial and reni-cel’s safety profile in SCD patients is similar to that of myeloablative conditioning with busulfan and autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation Patients who received reni-cel treatment remained VOE-free for up to 22.8 months and had total Hb levels that exceeded CASGEVY with a mean within the normal range of >14 g/dL and rapid and sustained improvements in HbF levels of well over 40% All seven patients who received reni-cel in the EdiTHAL study reported few side effects and the drug’s safety profile is comparable to that of myeloablative conditioning with busulfan and autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplant all EdiTHAL patients experienced an early and significant increase in total Hb and HbF and they remained transfusion-free for 4.1 to 12.8 months at the final follow-up If Editas Medicine’s reni-cel continues to demonstrate advancement there is a potential for the emergence of a third genetic medicine for SCD and TDT which would join Vertex’s CASGEVY and Bluebird Bio’s LYFGENIA (lovotibeglogene autotemcel) LYFGENIA operates by genetically altering a patient’s blood stem cells to generate a hemoglobin known as HbAT87Q This hemoglobin closely resembles the normal hemoglobin A (HbA) present in healthy adults and red blood cells containing HbAT87Q have a lower risk of sickling and blocking blood flow Bluebird Bio’s gene-edited cell therapy is slightly different from CASGEVY and reni-cel in that it uses a lentiviral vector (gene delivery vehicle) for genetic modification and does not employ CRISPR You are viewing your 1 free article this month HarperCollins and 4th Estate have announced the launch of a new imprint, Monument Books, founded in collaboration with Reni Eddo-Lodge author of the international bestseller Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race Monument Books is being founded as a "revelatory The list will be curated by Eddo-Lodge and "represent the most essential thinking The imprint’s mission statement continues: "We seek to champion distinctive writers from across the world and to help them spark ideas make change and shape the cultural conversation We are driven by community: of our authors Eddo-Lodge said: "I’m delighted to be working with the excellent team at 4th Estate to bring Monument Books to life take readers by surprise and deepen their understanding of the world and I want to give readers that same electrifying feeling I’ve experienced over the years with my favourite books." The imprint will launch in February 2025 and publish three books each year of non-fiction with select fiction and classics Reni Eddo-Lodge will serve as editor-at-large working with publishing director Kishani Widyaratna and the team at 4th Estate The book contains 120 archival photographs, "ranging from rare, covert surveillance images to era-defining press shots", spanning from the radical suffrage movement in 1903 to the Anti-Iraq War Protest in 2003. These are interwoven with firsthand accounts from witnesses to these historic moments and expert analysis from writers including Gary Younge, Paul Gilroy and Baroness Chakrabarti. McQueen said: "This exhibition and book explores how people have challenged the status quo—a mission that feels especially urgent in today’s political climate." A statement from 4th Estate on the new imprint reads: "The name Monument Books is derived from the idea of each work on the list standing as a new monument to ideas, stories and culture, as well as uplifting or refashioning past legacies. The aspiration is that each title will become a landmark on a reader’s journey of discovery through the list and beyond. It also borrows from the idea of a monument as a meeting place and books as a point of connection." Your Ads Privacy ChoicesIMDb safety and tolerability data shared at hematology meeting Cleveland Clinic is a non-profit academic medical center. Advertising on our site helps support our mission. We do not endorse non-Cleveland Clinic products or services. Policy demonstrate preliminary efficacy following infusion of renizgamglogene autogedtemcel (reni-cel) The therapy has also shown a favorable safety and tolerability profile Rabi Hanna, MD, Director of the Pediatric Bone Marrow Transplantation at Cleveland Clinic Children’s presented these findings at the 2024 European Hematology Association meeting the second-largest hematology meeting in the world He stresses that while the research team is encouraged by these results Sickle cell disease is an inherited blood disorder caused by a single mutation in the hemoglobin gene It affects more than 20 million people worldwide and 100,000 people in the U.S There is a disproportionate burden on those of African ancestry or who identify as Black according to the National Institutes of Health autologous hematopoietic stem cell therapy could offer potentially a curative option for patients with severe sickle cell disease their own stem cells become the ‘donor’ cells mimicking naturally occurring mechanisms involved in the hereditary persistence of fetal hemoglobin (HPFH) This has a protective effect on red blood cells preventing them from sickling and preventing end-organ damage,” explains Dr 18 of the study’s 40 enrolled patients have received the reni-cel transfusion Follow-up ranges from two months to two years All patients in the study reported being free of a vaso-occlusion event following reni-cel infusion They also experienced normalization of total hemoglobin and correction of anemia Vaso-occlusive pain crises and hemolytic anemia patients who received the infusion appear to have normal hemoglobin Because we know that sustained increases to hemoglobin and fetal hemoglobin levels correlate with improved function and better patient-reported outcomes in those with sickle cell disease,” he notes with a mean within the normal range at >14 g/dL and improvements in fetal hemoglobin well above levels of >40% This sustained improvement in fetal hemoglobin is important “because we know that through the pathology of hemolysis people with sickle cell disease can experience liver and kidney damage,” he says if we can address that and prevent hemolysis we may be able to prevent end-organ damage.” Results also show successful engraftment among all patients who received the infusion While the study does not directly compare to other gene therapies the authors observed a relatively early time to engraftment Time to neutrophil engraftment was a median time of 23.0 days (15.0 29.0) and time to platelet engraftment was a median time of 24.0 days (18.0 Study data demonstrated favorable safety and tolerability outcomes among all participants The reni-cel safety profile is consistent with myeloablative busulfan conditioning and autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation Hanna emphasizes these are interim—and not final—results the data are consistent with the initial findings patients’ hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells are harvested from peripheral blood to mobilize hematopoietic stem cells in preparation for apheresis The cells are sent to a genome editing company where they are edited at promoter regions of gamma globin genes 1 and 2 using CRISPR/CASP 12 Patients in the trial receive myeloablation conditioning with busulfan This high dose of chemotherapy is important to get rid of the nonfunctional cells and makes room for the modified stem cell infusion patients are monitored in the hospital until engraftment “CRISPR/Cas12a is an incredibly precise technology that goes directly toward the gene making edits to the HBG1 and HBG2 promotor regions inducing the production of fetal hemoglobin and Patients in the RUBY Trial receive a single infusion of reni-cel with a 24-month follow-up as a primary endpoint “It’s been more than 100 years since sickle cell disease was discovered and few options have existed for patients,” Dr Allogenic blood or marrow transplant are the only curative options for individuals with the disease and outcomes may be suboptimal due to risk of graft rejection and graft-versus-host disease first approved by FDA is an antineoplastic drug in the 1960s was later used for adults with sickle cell disease in the late 1990s It wasn’t approved for use in pediatric patients with the disease until 2017 While the drug addresses some symptoms and may prevent pain crises in some patients Enrollment for the RUBY trial has concluded but the study will continue until each patient reaches their two-year follow-up Hanna also remarks that inclusion criteria was amended to include adolescent patients as young as age 12 and the final analysis will reflect data from these patients He says that one patient in the study described their experiences with the therapy as freeing: "free from hospitals free from pain and freeing him to achieve his dreams.” the team is hopeful that they will continue to observe positive outcomes in this patient population Advertisement Nurses play key role in comprehensive lifetime treatment program How to combat the rise in mortality when patients become adults Two-year event-free survival comparable to matched sibling donor myeloablative transplant First in-human trial using CRISPR/CASP 12 for gene editing in sickle cell disease Leaders of the Pediatric Cancer Committee discuss new accreditation The latest evidence to support ‘practice-changing’ protocol—and a note of caution Largest study of its kind identifies three treatment exposures that contribute to risk AHA recommendations for pretransplant evaluation All RUBY trial patients remain free of vaso-occlusive events for 2-22 months All 18 adults with severe sickle cell disease (SCD) treated with the gene-editing therapy renizgamglogene autogedtemcel — known as reni-cel — remained free of vaso-occlusive events according to new interim data from the Phase 1/2/3 RUBY clinical trial The therapy, being developed by Editas Medicine also normalized total hemoglobin levels and was well tolerated with a safety profile consistent with a stem cell transplant and the chemotherapy conditioning regimen that precedes it “Treatment with reni-cel showed a favorable safety profile and promising preliminary efficacy supporting further investigation as a differentiated gene-edited medicine for patients with SCD,” Hanna said “We look forward to continuing to evaluate its effectiveness on this patient population in need of treatment options.” Hanna shared these findings in an oral presentation at the European Hematology Association (EHA) Hybrid Congress 2024 People with SCD carry mutations that lead to the production of an abnormal form of adult hemoglobin, which is the protein that transports oxygen in red blood cells. As a result, these cells adopt a sickle-like shape and die prematurely, leading to a shortage of red blood cells, or anemia, one of the most common symptoms of SCD Vaso-occlusive events or VOEs — which include painful vaso-occlusive crises as well as other SCD complications — occur when sickled cells form clumps and block blood flow is designed to boost the production of fetal hemoglobin This version of hemoglobin typically is produced in early fetal development but normally stops being made shortly after birth is more efficient at carrying oxygen than is its adult counterpart to introduce genetic changes that mimic those that naturally occur in people with hereditary persistence of fetal hemoglobin — a benign condition in which HbF continues being produced into adulthood Treatment first involves collecting hematopoietic stem cells These cells are genetically modified to make high levels of HbF and are then infused back into the patient via a stem cell transplant which is preceded by a course of chemotherapy to destroy stem cells in the bone marrow and make room for the edited ones The modified stem cells are then expected to give rise to red blood cells that are capable of producing HbF which in turn is expected to reduce the likelihood of sickling and SCD complications like VOCs The Phase 1/2/3 RUBY trial (NCT04853576) is evaluating the safety and efficacy of a single infusion of reni-cel in about 40 patients patients must have had at least two severe VOEs per year in the two years before entering the study Severe VOEs were defined as episodes of acute pain or other complications associated with blood vessel obstruction that required medical attention despite treatment with hydroxyurea or other supportive care measures At the EHA Congress, Hanna shared data from the first 18 patients infused with reni-cel. Her oral presentation was titled “Reni-cel, the first AsCas12a gene-edited cell therapy, led to hemoglobin normalization and increased fetal hemoglobin in severe sickle cell disease patients in an interim analysis of the RUBY trial.” These patients ranged in age from 18 to 35 the patients experienced a mean of 5.2 severe VOEs per year In line with the first two patients dosed, all 18 participants have been free of VOEs since receiving a reni-cel infusion — with follow-up ranging from 2.4 to 22.8 months, or nearly two years. Among nine patients with at least six months of follow-up, reni-cel increased total hemoglobin levels into the normal range, with a mean of 14.3 g/dL at six months. At the same time, HbF levels reached 48.5% in all 10 patients with six months of follow-up. Markers of hemolysis, or red blood cell destruction, either normalized or started displaying a trend toward normalization in all treated patients. The mean percentage of HbF-producing red blood cells increased early and was sustained at levels higher than 90% among all 12 patients with at least four months of follow-up. Mean corpuscular fetal hemoglobin — the average hemoglobin levels — in HbF-containing red cells remained above the sickling threshold in all 14 patients with at least three months of follow-up. All patients demonstrated successful engraftment, meaning the transplanted stem cells survived and expanded within the bone marrow, repopulating the body with new blood cells. These data … support our belief that reni-cel has the potential to be a best-in-class and clinically differentiated, one-time, durable medicine that can provide life-changing clinical benefits to patients. Reni-cel has been well tolerated, with no serious safety-related events reported. All side effects noted so far have been those associated with a stem cell transplant and the chemotherapy conditioning regimen that precedes it. “These data … support our belief that reni-cel has the potential to be a best-in-class and clinically differentiated, one-time, durable medicine that can provide life-changing clinical benefits to patients,” said Baisong Mei, MD, PhD, Editas’ chief medical officer. Mei noted that more than 20 patients have been dosed to date in the RUBY trial, and added that the study has “opened and enrolled patients in the adolescent cohort [group].” “I would like to thank the participants, their families and caregivers, clinicians, and colleagues at collaborating institutions that contribute to the RUBY trial,” Mei said. This site is strictly a news and information website about the disease. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. 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Unfortunately we've not been able to process your registration Your question has been successfully sent to the email address below and we will get back as soon as possible This article has been sent to my@email.address considered as much in his guise as a poet as in that of a theorist with whom one can say not only totally overcome the historical inferiority complex that ’art had always suffered vis-à-vis letters but it could be considered to some extent reversed it was often poetry that followed painting trying to express in words what the immediacy of images suggested to the poet’s eyes retracing the ramifications that this very fertile cultural humus followed in the city The audience is immediately provided with an appropriate engaging context: we are in the second largest and most populous center of the Papal States arts and sciences flourished also as a result of the presence of the Studium as well as the numerous artists’ ateliers and the academies of painters and men of letters where new ideas were elaborated where the marriage between poetry and painting was continually celebrated so much so that the first painting one encounters in the exhibition is a sort of manifesto If in the Galleria Borghese exhibition this sort of programmatic role was entrusted to Francesco Furini’s Pittura e Poesia (Painting and Poetry ) in Bologna one can admire a painting animated by the same principle Giovanni Andrea Sirani’sAllegory of the Three Arts (namely on the contrary: the four-decade gap between the first painted manifestations of the link between painting and poetry and the work on display at the Pinacoteca Nazionale is testimony to how enduring the phenomenon investigated by the exhibition was (of course: if one wished one could identify its offshoots up to the present day but at the time the interweaving of art and poetry was not only at the center of cultural debate and would remain so until well into the eighteenth century) At the center of the exhibition in Bologna would seem to be a crucial element for understanding the relationship between art and painting in the seventeenth century the consideration that the painter’s craft enjoyed at the time: it is a declination of the theme that was touched upon by the exhibition at the Galleria Borghese and which take the topic even more broadly: what did it mean to be a painter in early 17th-century Bologna What was the role of the artist in society The idea that the artist was a kind of intellectual capable of collaborating with the literati to awaken minds from their torpor is beginning to be clearly perceived: the Accademia dei Gelati on whose coat of arms stood a forest of trees dried up by the cold (the “gelati”) established in 1588 on the initiative of the physician Melchiorre Zoppio had set itself the goal of fostering the thawing of minds frozen by ’ignorance through the initiation of antiquarian research the promotion of philosophical discussions the patronage of broader initiatives (theatrical performances and the translation of ideas into works of art Such cenacles could not do without the participation of artists whose brush could give image form to ideas (“expressing perfect ideas,” academic Ercole Agostino Berrò would write in one of his speeches moreover praising Guido Reni as the highest example of perfection): the painter is now not only perceived as a friend of the poets but who can participate independently in the cultural debate by contributing his own ideas On the occasion of Agostino Carracci’s funeral in 1602 (on display are engravings reproducing the sets prepared for the occasion: Many of the leading Bolognese artists of the time participated under the direction of a then 25-year-old Guido Reni) a publication was printed in which the Incamminati or members of the academy founded by the Carracci collected texts and poems produced in honor of therecently deceased artist written by the academician Benedetto Morello one could read that the artists “not only show valer in drawing their principal study but they discover themselves more than mezanamente indententi and of architectures and give essay of having cognitione of historie and fables; indeed with new thoughts they give to see that they are not deprived of the cognition of sciences the whole always accompanying with istupendo giudicio in applying it and with rare shrewdness in arranging and ordering it et insomma mostraresi such that they give hope of the happiest progress if not manifest clarity of task value.” This is how painters were perceived in early 17th-century Bologna And in this dense web of correspondences between arts and letters a position that was anything but marginal was that of the collectors and were regulars in the painters’ workshops with whom they not infrequently became friends: Significant is the case of Cesare Rinaldi who was a great friend of Agostino Carracci to the point that he was portrayed by him in a splendid portrait in which the fine collector is depicted holding a pocket watch (“da saccoccia” it would have been said at the time) and is immersed in a study in which appear all the objects of his singular Wunderkammer dedicated painting and music (so here appear works of art and more generally the instruments of the three arts) Another prominent collector was the younger Andrea Barbazzi owner of a vast picture gallery that certainly included Ludovico Carracci’s Iole on loan from the Manodori Foundation of Reggio Emilia It is around Barbazzi that the most significant new features of the exhibition are concentrated: In fact in the library of the Harry Ransom Center of the University of Austin a manuscript that allows us to shed new light on the figure of this poet friend of many painters (and especially of Guido Reni) paintings that the exhibition presents to the public The manuscript contains a collection of over three hundred of Barbazza’s poems unpublished: they had been gathered by the author with a view to publication after his death It was not uncommon for poets to compose anthologies of their entire production with a posthumous printed publication in mind: however written in beautiful handwriting (a circumstance that supports the hypothesis of their preparation for printing) never reached the printing press Barbazza’s poems were therefore forgotten to the archives of the Accademia dei Gelati decided to dispose of its entire library holdings by auction It was in that circumstance that the manuscript was purchased at a time when several newly established American study centers were feeling the need to create valuable libraries for themselves and consequently purchased en bloc lots they found on the Italian market what is important is that this summary of Barbazza’s literary production has been found: it is mostly ecphrastic poems referring to the works of art that the poet had in his own collection to those paintings that he had in his house is a bit like having an inventory of Barbazza’s collection in hand Identifying Iole was not such an arduous task: the heroine of Greek mythology known for having subdued Hercules to the point of forcing him to wear women’s clothes while she wore the skin of the Nemean lion and held his club is the protagonist of a lyric entitled Jole laughing with the lion’s skin by Lodovico Carracci that is well suited to an image hitherto devoid of history (“La bellissima Jole / Che così viva appararne ne’ tuoi colori / Coprir del bianco seno hor non vuole più / Con sotil velo gli animati averi / Ma della spoglia del Leon Nemeo / La clava impogna / Per maggiore trofeo / Fastosetta deride / Conocchia il filatore Alcide qual vasto si accrescce al tuo penello / Jole in Alcide it is at present only a hypothesis to identify a portrait that had so far provoked long discussions among critics about the identity of the subject which has so far never been proven: it is the so-called Portrait of a Gonfalonier by Artemisia Gentileschi and this is the hypothesis presented to the public in the exhibition in the manuscript appears the description of a “Portrait of the author by the hand of Roman Artemisia,” which does not describe the painting but was content to evoke it (“Pingi qui il mio volto / Appaga il tuo desio / Che se finito è your heart in mine / You may well also exercise your right hand / With finite master Art; / But to me similar / Cangia l’usato stile et immortal colore / Da morte al volto se le desti al core”) the year in which Artemisia painted the work during the years when Rome was ruled by a Bolognese the protagonist of this winter’s other important Roman exhibition dedicated precisely to the Ludovisi papacy had moved to Rome included both Andrea Barbazza and Guido Reni (the two were close friends indeed: Andrea Barbazza considered himself a sort of servant of the painter and the same self-perception was held by Cesare Rinaldi it cannot be ruled out that Barbazza commissioned Artemisia for an eventual portrait on that occasion Some knots remain to be clarified: why the subject has the attributes of the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus while instead on the pontifical gonfalon the hook could be Barbazza’s election to the Collegio degli Anziani in Bologna in 1607 an office that allowed him to portray himself precisely with the gonfalon After a section listing the achievements of some Bolognese painters who frequented Roman circles showing some of their most refined masterpieces always to be read in relation to the poetry of the time (parading an Amor vincit omnia by Gian Giacomo Sementi whose work was often requested by poets such as Marino and Barbazza themselves another painter praised by Bolognese poets such as Giulio Cesare Croce and Ridolfo Campeggi and again the Roman Lucretia by Guido Reni) here comes a comparison between the two versions of theAtalanta and Ippomene by Guido Reni displayed alongside the Strage degli innocenti to which Marino dedicated one of his lyrics contained in the famous Galeria (“Che fai Guido che mentre il sanguinoso / Stuol de’ fanciulli ravivando vai / Nova morte gli dai / O ne la crudeltate anco pietoso / Fabro gentil / Ch’ancora tragico caso è caro oggetto / E che spesso l’horror va col diletto”) the two works were exhibited together in 2023 in Madrid on the occasion of the great exhibition that the Prado dedicated to Guido Reni but the Italian public had not seen the two squares together since 1988 the year of the complete monograph curated precisely at the Pinacoteca Nazionale di Bologna by Andrea Emiliani: an exhibition so important that it then traveled to Los Angeles and Fort Worth by virtue of the existence of a passage in theAdonis of Marino composed in the same years in which Guido painted his masterpiece dedicated to the myth of Atalanta and Ippomene (“Per l’arringo mortal e con spedita pianta / del gran viaggio al termine s’affretta / But oftentimes its course turns away / the adulator sense which allures it to itself / with the pleasant and playful object / of this pomo d’or What is not known about the painting is who commissioned it: it seems almost as if the ancient history of the painting has been forgotten were it not for those verses by Marino that lead one to trace the genesis from the painting back to the cultural milieu of Bologna Inventory records for the two works are very late: anAtalanta e Ippomene by Guido Reni is mentioned in the Gonzaga collections in the late seventeenth century and it is not even known which version it is (assuming that those in Naples and Madrid are the only two actually produced by Guido’s hand) a Genoese nobleman in the service of the Spanish crown had in his hands anAtalanta e Ippomene by Guido Reni that later found its way into the collections of the kings of Spain: it is the work preserved today in the Prado Even less is known about the Neapolitan painting since it appears only at the beginning of the 19th century in a Milanese collection and then arrived in the Bourbon collections The idea suggested by Giulia Iseppi is that to search for the patron (or rather: the patrons) of theAtalanta and Ippomene we need to look among the literary circles of the early seventeenth century and in this case in the Accademia dei Desiosi founded by the Turin cardinal Maurizio di Savoia (who knows that he might not also have brigaded to get Andrea Barbazza recognized by the Mauritian Order) The Accademia dei Desiosi certainly brought together Giovan Battista Marino several high prelates who gravitated around Gregory XV the Accademia produced a kind of diary in which they also spoke of the “fable of Atalanta,” a circumstance that provided the title of the exhibition: that of Atalanta and Ippomene was a story (indeed a “fable”) little frequented by the painters of the time but known to the literati and much frequented by the academicians attended by both Guido Reni and Giovan Battista Marino the name of the patrons of theAtalanta and Ippomene is perhaps to be sought in those prelates who had large rooms in which to display paintings of such considerable size and who at the same time could fully understand under the banner of that refined Christian humanism used to reread Greek and Roman myths in a contemporary key the meaning of Guido Reni’s painting: the Bolognese Ludovico Ludovisi A painting perhaps created for one of these prelates and then became the object of desire of some of his other “colleagues,” to the point of leading Guido to paint another version the Bologna of poets and painters whose relationships did not end The exhibition at the Pinacoteca Nazionale helps to clear the fog on these relationships that were not limited only to the professional sphere Poets should not be seen as the painters’ sources of inspiration Their relationships were closer and more ductile: there were relationships of friendship relationships of intermediation involving collectors Relationships that were expressed in those academies in those circles that were to be considered centers of cultural power alternative to the centers of official knowledge Guido Reni and the Poets is thus an exhibition of high scholarly value that adds significant fundamental pages to the history of seventeenth-century Italian art of limited dimensions and therefore useful to avoid a hasty consumption and elegant and carefully detailed layout (there are also engaging “sound showers” that reproduce audio with readings of the poems related to the paintings) and also equipped with an educational workshop open to all in which one runs the serious risk of spending more time than in the exhibition We will never know how many visitors actually went to the Pinacoteca for this occasion because there was no separate ticketing (we will only be able to tell if the flows experienced increases in the three months that the exhibition was open) but at least on the media level it seems to see that The Tale of Atalanta did not get much prominence The Tale of Atalanta: Guido Reni and the Poets currently on view at the National Pinacoteca of Bologna examines the friendship and collaboration between Bolognese poets and painters including not only Reni The exhibition offers a handful of extraordinary works nearly identical versions of the famous painting Atalanta and Hippomenes (1620-25) by Guido Reni based upon a tale taken from Book X of Ovid’s Metamorphoses We might also add that Atalanta kills those suitors who lose against her: “You cannot have me,” she said “unless you outrun me; / come race against me Those are the rules of the contest.” (Book X: 677-679) ‘a foolhardy throng of admirers took up the wager’ (X: 681) such was her beauty The young and slender Hippomenes is only able to succeed with the help of Aphrodite and her gift of three golden apples Reni depicts the moment when Hippomenes has suddenly dropped a golden apple to the ground and Atalanta cannot resist pausing to pick it up With the aid of this stratagem Hippomenes manages to overcome Atalanta and win the race The two figures are set within a nocturnal landscape their legs crossed in the center of the painting with Hippomenes glancing backward at Atalanta as she bends down to retrieve the second of the apples one of which is already resting in the palm of her left hand The third is presumably still in Hippomenes’ left hand which is hidden behind his back It will be the last to fall and ensure the youth his victory The two life sized figures are entirely nude the primary purpose of which seems to be to serve as the proverbial fig leaf The supreme genius of the painting consists in the chiasm formed by the X-shaped crossing of their legs (which may be a reference to the Book in which Ovid’s tale occurs).The decussation is a masterful stroke on the part of Reni who undoubtedly read his Ovid closely – for Atalanta is ambivalent about Hippomenes uncertain whether she wishes to win or be won and reluctant to see this bold suitor join the previous young men who have perished for their folly The intertwining of their legs is the symbolical representation of this ambiguity and her inner turmoil Even while she leads with her left leg she is falling behind with her right It is also a foreshadowing of the outcome; that is Hippomenes’ ultimate victory and hence their sexual intertwining which would occur shortly after inside a shrine near the temple of Cybele The couple would be punished for their defilement of the holy place by being transformed into a pair of lions fated to ‘champ at the bit of the harness /on either side of the yoke of Cybele’s chariot.’ (X: 819-20) for he still holds the third apple which he has yet to drop the painter has chosen to show the moment when Hippomenes has finally taken the lead and is bound to win with the aid of Aphrodite and her irresistible fruit Reni has depicted the most pregnant instant not the ultimate moment of success but rather the penultimate scene leaving it to the viewer to imagine the climax which is presently to come Reni employs a similar approach in the other great masterpiece of the exhibition but one which was not unfamiliar to painters of Reni’s era – depicted also by Peter Paul Rubens in 1610 and half a century earlier by Pieter Bruegel the Elder and his son Pieter Brueghel the Younger It so happened that on the same day as I saw this painting the Southport child killer was sentenced to life in prison for having brutally stabbed to death three young girls in July 2024 I could not help but see this painting in the shadow of the horror of which I was being reminded by the headlines of the day The Massacre is about the killing of the most vulnerable the most helpless and that is why it grips and terrifies us reminding us that society’s most defenseless will always be a target for those who are determined to wreak havoc The interesting aesthetic question is how the depiction of such a terrible scene can still be regarded as beautiful art the Neapolitan poet Giambattista Marino confronted this very problem in a short rhyme: ‘Do you not see that while the bloody/ throng of children you revive new death you them give?/ Gentle craftsman know/ even in cruelty you know well,/ when a tragic event can be also a dear sight,/ and often horror goes with delight.’ I am tempted to heed the South Korean philosopher Jung Ja Park in regarding such works of art not as instances of beauty As she observes in her book Sublime Aesthetics: Artistic Principles of Violence and the Grotesque (2024): ‘… there are certain moments when we stand before something not beautiful and we feel a powerful aesthetic emotion—a shiver There are other extraordinary surprises in store for the visitor to this exhibition not least of which is Lavinia Fontana’s Giuditta con la testa di Oloferne (ca The theme of Judith and Holofernes was a favorite among artists of that era: perhaps the most memorable is Caravaggio’s depiction of Judith in the act of severing Holofernes’ head from his neck while he still lays in bed widely regarded as the first female career artist in Western Europe would also depict Judith with the decapitated torso of Holofernes as she places the head into a sack held by her handmaid Judith is gripping Holofernes’ head by the hair with her left hand; with her right hand she holds her sword aloft On the right side of the canvas and in the rear is her maidservant and it may very well be that the figure of Judith is a self-portrait Her dress and jewelry are ornate and rendered with consummate skill if there is any criticism to be made it is that her necklace is so over the top that one is distracted from the true theme of the painting heroic woman (femme forte) over a powerful Assyrian general and the enemy of her people Artemisia Gentileschi would also depict Judith in the act of slaying Holofernes we are presented with a 1622 full length portrait by Gentileschi ‘one of the rare and most remarkable examples of portraiture’ in her oeuvre The identity of the figure is uncertain: what we can be sure of is that it is a knight bearing the white cross and green mantle associated with the Mauritian order The painting is brightly lit and not rendered with the chiaroscuro that characterizes the work of the Caravaggisti with which Artemisia and her father Orazio Gentileschi were associated Other notable works are included in this captivating exhibition I have focused on but a handful that stood out for various reasons will reward the visitor not only with its most monumental and glorious works though no less precious gems of early 17th century Bolognese painting Please follow Blitz on Google News Channel and website in this browser for the next time I comment Rock’n Robin Productions, the production outfit run by Robin Roberts, has announced two executive hires. Reni Calister is the new chief content officer and Quanny Carr is director of developmentRoberts, anchor on Good Morning America, is president of Rock’n Robin.  "Reni and Quanny are dedicated storytellers and a ‘dream team’ who are ready to take Rock’n Robin Productions to new heights,” said Roberts “As we ready to celebrate our ten-year anniversary at RRP I am excited to embark on this new chapter with Reni and Quanny as they spearhead creative and continue our mission of impactful storytelling that inspires audiences and champions many stories that might otherwise not be told.”  Calister was head of development at Rock’n Robin from 2018 to 2022 then was executive VP of content at TOGETHXR a media company founded by Olympians Alex Morgan She previously worked at HBO Documentary Films.  Carr was director of current at TOGETHXR.  Launching in 2014, Rock’n Robin programs include The Great War and The Harlem Hellfighters on History.  The smarter way to stay on top of broadcasting and cable industry Michael MaloneSocial Links NavigationMichael Malone is content director at B+C and Multichannel News He joined B+C in 2005 and has covered network programming cable and streaming; and local broadcast television including writing the "Local News Close-Up" market profiles He also hosted the podcasts "Busted Pilot" and "Series Business." His journalism has also appeared in The New York Times the Vice Prime Minister for the Recovery of Ukraine and the Minister for Communities and Territorial Development of Ukraine visited the "Reni - Giurgiulești" border crossing point with Moldova This is one of the key logistical hubs connecting Ukraine with Moldova and Romanian ports border crossing points have become not only infrastructure objects but also a strategic part of our logistics They provide a reliable route for the transportation of goods and strengthening ties with our partners," said Oleksii Kuleba Thanks to the implementation of joint Ukrainian-Moldovan control border crossing time has become 30% faster for passenger cars and buses "Convenience for people and efficiency for business are our priorities Strengthening the border is an investment in our economy and Ukraine's European integration," Kuleba noted the parties discussed work already carried out at the border crossing points They also outlined strategic tasks for the development of the border crossing points in the near future News of the play coming to London earlier this year provoked condemnation from British government officials it follows three mixed-race couples on a retreat working through their relationship issues by way of “Antebellum Sexual Performance Therapy” This is an entirely made-up practice that seems to be informed by BDSM and has the couples exploring master-slave dynamics in a pre-Civil War cotton plantation setting complete with historically accurate costumes The Black people in each couple are suffering from anhedonia a very real concept first coined by French psychologist Théodule-Armand Ribot to describe living a life devoid of pleasure The unhappy couples are guided by two queer women.. Inside this organised chaos are two Black characters written with care Kaneisha is a Black woman in a relationship with an upper-class white British man named Jim and Gary is a gay Black man in a relationship with a pale-skinned Latinx man named Dustin Both characters deliver monologues that rip at the heart laying bare sex lives weighed down by racism Gary feels that he isn’t truly seen by his partner Kaneisha is desperate for her white partner to relinquish control but she can barely find the words to express herself There’s been a lot of discussion about whether Slave Play could truly resonate with a British audience but the inclusion of Jim as a character challenges this idea His rage is classically posh and British – brittle He is one of the production’s most consistently objectionable white characters an actor tormented by his own widespread sex appeal “To always be put on a pedestal as a hunk is slightly demeaning.”) Slave Play closes with an extended sex scene in which Jim is completely naked and psychologically terrifying I left the theatre feeling disturbed and disorientated I was asked to give a live reaction to camera Casting a heartthrob in a role that ultimately frightens the audience feels like a trick to leave us all sexually confused and questioning our own desire – although I suspect that is the point This is a play that pushes both its characters and its audience to the edge We watch as the couples on stage have intense and frantic monologues full of fragmented speech create a tension that is only partially relieved by some well-placed comedic staging and writing The actors perform in front of mirrored walls which reflect your own appalled reactions back to you I was sitting next to a reviewer diligently taking notes whose polite coughs descended into an uncontrollable spluttering fit halfway through the play He was clearly experiencing some level of physical discomfort I could see the tears gathering in his eyes We join the couples in the middle of their therapy at a point when each character is on the brink of losing control reaching for long words and untrustworthy declarations of empathy as they desperately try to maintain control of the room Couples therapy content has blown up on the internet in recent years Relationships therapist Esther Perel is a celebrity in her own right Her call to end defensiveness in relationship dynamics – “you can be right or you can be married!” – encapsulates so much of her no-nonsense charm This sort of content’s appeal is undeniable We love seeing other people’s relationship dynamics laid bare We gasp at the indignities people will endure in the name of staying together We marvel at the saint-like patience of the therapists navigating the room these real life dynamics are fictionalised Sometimes they are ratcheted up for comedic effect But the core of most relationship problems are there Playwright Jeremy O Harris successfully wound up the former government when it was announced earlier this year that Slave Play would host Black Out nights, which no white audience members could attend. The news prompted a statement from 10 Downing Street, who called the plan “wrong and divisive” leading many people to dismiss Slave Play as needlessly provocative rage bait and I admire his commitment to emotional honesty in this play I found myself looking at my watch more than once unforgiving caricatures of the more solipsistic aspects of racial trauma discourse did not make me smile I’m all for a critique of the more navel-gazing branches of anti-racism (when lives are still blighted by structural racism that limits access to employment looking at our own belly-buttons can only get us so far) Deconstructing desire goes some way in challenging racism but it doesn’t stop children growing up in poverty I can accept that not everyone has the stomach for graphic simulated sex scenes and the frequent use of racial slurs I can also accept that not everyone will be acclimatised to these conversations about race But the fact that it shocks does not mean that this play is not thoughtful All sex in an unequal society is about power even if the people engaging in it think that they’re not kinky Sex taking place in a heterosexual conservative household between a wife who stays at home and a breadwinning husband When she relies on him for food and shelter she doesn’t need to be physically tied up to know she can’t escape There are Black people who don’t date interracially who might dismiss this play as not being relevant to them You don’t have to date and sleep with white people to know what it feels like to be objectified by them Emotional and sexual intimacy simply brings these things into sharp focus Slave Play’s “provocative” reputation frustrates me in a way that feels all too familiar The term is a straightjacket placed upon Black creative self-expression It assumes that we do this work just to upset people It ignores the fact that we might want to have some conversations among ourselves that we might be creating art and plays and books and writing to make sense of the world because part of an artist’s job is to dig out the emotions that many experience perhaps during one of its much maligned Black Out nights Slave Play is at Noël Coward Theatre until 21 September Read More On British VogueMet Gala 2025 Red Carpet Looks: See Every Celebrity Outfit and Dress Everything You Need To Know About The Met Gala 2025 Join The Vogue Newsletter For The Latest Fashion, Beauty And Street Style Trends Straight To Your Inbox The Key Spring/Summer 2025 Trends To Know Now Join British Vogue’s Met Gala Community Ahead Of Fashion’s Biggest Night. 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