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  • Weight-loss drugs reduce risk of heart failure by 40% — Harvard Gazette

    Weight-loss drugs reduce risk of heart failure by 40% — Harvard Gazette

    High-risk patients with heart failure had an over 40 percent lower risk of hospitalization or death after initiating weight-loss drugs semaglutide or tirzepatide compared to placebo by proxy, according to a study out of Harvard-affiliated Mass General Brigham.

    Specifically, researchers looked at heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), a condition where the heart’s ability to pump remains intact, yet the heart’s muscle has become so thick and stiff that the amount of blood being pumped doesn’t meet the body’s needs. This form of heart failure is especially common among people with obesity and Type 2 diabetes.

    “Despite the widespread morbidity and mortality burden of HFpEF, current treatment options are limited,” said corresponding author Nils Krüger of the Division of Pharmacoepidemiology and Pharmacoeconomics at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and a postdoctoral research fellow at Harvard Medical School. “Both semaglutide and tirzepatide are well-known for their effects on weight loss and blood sugar control, but our study suggests they may also offer substantial benefits to patients with obesity and Type 2 diabetes by reducing adverse heart failure outcomes.”

    By analyzing real-world data from over 90,000 HFpEF patients with obesity and Type 2 diabetes, researchers from MGB demonstrated that GLP-1 medications may significantly reduce the risk of hospitalization due to heart failure and all-cause mortality. Findings are published in JAMA and presented simultaneously at the European Society of Cardiology Congress.

    Despite promising results from existing randomized controlled trials of semaglutide and tirzepatide in those with obesity-related HFpEF, regulatory authorities and professional societies have not approved or endorsed the use of these drugs for HFpEF, due in part to the studies’ relatively small sample sizes and unknown generalizability. The researchers therefore used data from three large U.S. insurance claims databases to emulate two previous, placebo-controlled trials of semaglutide and tirzepatide in new study populations that were an average of 19 times larger than those previously evaluated.

    The researchers compared the one-year risk of heart failure hospitalization or death in new users of each GLP-1 drug to the risk of those outcomes in a “placebo” group of patients taking sitagliptin, a diabetes drug known to have no impact on HFpEF. After verifying the results of the previous, highly controlled studies, the researchers expanded their study population to make it more reflective of HFpEF cases in clinical practice, finding that overall, the drugs were associated with a greater than 40 percent reduction in heart failure hospitalization or all-cause mortality as compared with sitagliptin. Semaglutide and tirzepatide had similar effectiveness.

    Notably, both drugs had acceptable safety profiles. In the future, the researchers hope to clarify the long-term impact of GLP-1 medications, the HFpEF subpopulations that may derive the most benefit from them, and whether the drugs are also effective in reducing other cardiovascular risks. 

    “By using nationwide data and an innovative methodological approach, our team was able to expand the findings of previous trials to larger populations more representative of HFpEF patients treated in clinical practice,” Krüger said. “Our findings show that in the future, GLP-1 targeting medications could provide a much-needed treatment option for patients with heart failure.”


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  • Study reveals how dormant E. coli bacteria survive antibiotics

    Study reveals how dormant E. coli bacteria survive antibiotics

    A groundbreaking study by researchers from Wuhan University, York University (UK), and Peking University has uncovered how Escherichia coli (E. coli) persister bacteria survive antibiotics by protecting their genetic instructions. The work, published in Nature Microbiology, offers new hope for tackling chronic, recurring infections.

    Persister bacteria, which enter a dormant state to survive antibiotics that target active cells, are linked to over 20% of chronic infections and resist current treatments. Understanding their survival mechanisms could lead to new ways to combat recurring infections. This study utilized E. coli bacteria as a model and found that prolonged stress leads to the increased formation of aggresomes (membraneless droplets) and the enrichment of mRNA (molecules that carry instructions for making proteins) within them, which enhances the ability of E. coli to survive and recover from stress.

    Key findings

    They used multiple approaches, including imaging, modeling, and transcriptomics, to show that prolonged stress leading to ATP(fuel for all living cells) depletion in Escherichia coli results in increased aggresome formation, their compaction, and enrichment of mRNA within aggresomes compared to the cytosol(the liquid inside of cells). Transcript length was longer in aggresomes compared to the cytosol. Mass spectrometry showed exclusion of mRNA ribonuclease(an enzyme that breaks down RNA) from aggresomes, which was due to negative charge repulsion. Experiments with fluorescent reporters and disruption of aggresome formation showed that mRNA storage within aggresomes promoted translation and was associated with reduced lag phases during growth after stress removal. These findings suggest that mRNA storage within aggresomes confers an advantage for bacterial survival and recovery from stress.

    Future implications

    This breakthrough illuminates how persister cells survive and revive after antibiotic treatment. By targeting aggresomes, new drugs could disrupt this protective mechanism, preventing bacteria from storing mRNA and making them more vulnerable to elimination, thus reducing the risk of infection relapse.

    Source:

    Journal reference:

    Pei, L., et al. (2025) Aggresomes protect mRNA under stress in Escherichia coli. Nature Microbiology. doi.org/10.1038/s41564-025-02086-5

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  • Interferon Alpha Nasal Spray Decreases COVID-19 Risk in Those With Cancer

    Interferon Alpha Nasal Spray Decreases COVID-19 Risk in Those With Cancer

    Only 2 patients died in the phase 3 trial evaluating interferon-alpha in adult patients with cancer, but were deemed unrelated to study treatment.

    Daily use of interferon-alpha (IFN-α) as a nasal spray was found to reduce the incidence of COVID-19 for adult patients with cancer, according to results from a phase 3 trial (NCT04534725) published in Clinical Infectious Diseases.

    In the intention-to-treat (ITT) population, the overall incidence of COVID-19 infection was 11.3% in the IFN-α arm. There was a lower incidence of infection in the IFN-α arm of 8.3% vs 14.4% in the placebo arm (relative risk [RR], .60; 95% credible intervals [CrI], .33-.97). These results showed a 40% reduction in the risk of infection for the IFN-α arm. Additionally, the cumulative incidence of COVID-19 was lower in the IFN-α arm compared with the placebo arm (HR, .55; 95% CI, .32-.97; P = .04).

    “IFN-α nasal spray reduced the incidence of COVID-19 and, in particular, in those younger than 65 years and female. It may be that, during the study period, being younger and female was a marker of high risk with working and caring responsibilities and thus higher community exposure to COVID-19. We did not see any differences in the subgroup aged 65 years and older, which is recognized as having a higher risk of progression to severe disease,” Michelle K. Yong, MBBS, FRACP, MPH, PhD, and co-authors of the study wrote in the publication. “Patients receiving IFN-α nasal spray who received a COVID-19 vaccination had a reduced risk of COVID-19 infection by 50%. COVID-19 vaccines were considered standard of care. We did not find any differences in COVID-19 incidence based on cancer type or whether patients were receiving active cancer-related treatment.”

    IFN-α was evaluated at a 40,000 IU dose per day because of previously available literature. Patients were given a reformulation of IFN-α-2a/β as a nasal spray and delivered at 20,000 IU/mL per 100 μL actuation. IFN-α was dispensed at either 40,000 IU a day or a normal saline nasal spray.Patients were given a self-testing kit with a nasal swab, viral medium, a prepaid envelope, a symptom diary, and instructions regarding how to perform self-testing when influenza symptoms developed.

    Patients were required to have visits at 30, 60, and 90 days, which marked the end of treatment, with the option of study follow-up of 120 and 365 days. During the study, investigators assessed for influenza-like illness symptoms, adherence, and adverse effects (AEs).

    The primary end points were incidence of COVID-19 and/or other respiratory viruses within 90 days of randomization.

    A total of 433 patients were enrolled in the trial and randomly assigned to either the IFN-α arm (n = 217) or the placebo arm (n = 216). The median patient age in the IFN-α arm was 62 years old, 51% were female, and 91% were White. The primary cancers were hematologic (48%) or solid tumors (52%). The per-protocol analysis included 389 patients.

    In the per-protocol cohort, the overall incidence of COVID-19 was 11.8%. In the IFN-α arm, a lower incidence of COVID-19 was observed with 7.7% of patient’s vs 16% in the placebo arm (RR, 0.50; 95% CrI, .26-.84). The incidence of other respiratory events was 4.6% vs 5.7%. Between arm, the cumulative incidence of COVID-19 was lower in the IFN-α arm vs placebo (HR, .46; 95% CI, .26-.82; P = .008).

    The trial was stopped early, but a post-hoc analysis showed the trial had a 95.1% power with a 5% alpha error rate to find the true result.

    The subgroup analysis showed that those in the IFN-α arm had a decreased risk of infection if they were younger than 65 (RR, .48; 95% CrI, .20-.92), were female (RR, .44; 95% CrI, .19-.85), or had received a COVID-19 vaccine (RR, .50; 95% CrI, .26-.82) compared with the placebo arm. The per-protocol population arm showed a decrease in infection risk for those with solid tumors (RR, .39; 95% CrI, .14-.82), those who were younger than 65 (RR, .36; 95% CrI, .13-.71), those who were female (RR, .36; 95% CrI, .13-.71), and those who had a COVID-19 vaccine (RR, .49; 95% CrI, .25-.83).

    Regarding safety, 10.1% of patients in the IFN-α arm had AEs vs 6.0% in the placebo arm (RR, .56; 95% CrI, .16-1.33). Serious AEs were noted in 4.1% vs 2.8% (RR, 1.23; 95% CrI, .36-3.12), while AEs of special interest of grade 2 were observed in 0.5% vs 0.5%, with similar rates for all-cause mortality.

    During the study period, one patient in each arm died, but were deemed unrelated to the intervention treatment.

    Reference

    Yong MK, Thursky K, Crane M, et al. Interferon-α nasal spray prophylaxis reduces COVID-19 in cancer patients: a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial. Clin Infect Dis. Published online August 28, 2025. doi:10.1093/cid/ciaf409

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  • Vogue’s Wintour taps successor to lead editorial at the iconic magazine | Media News

    Vogue’s Wintour taps successor to lead editorial at the iconic magazine | Media News

    Chloe Malle, who has been with the magazine for more than a decade, will take the top job.

    Published On 2 Sep 2025

    Vogue has named Chloe Malle as its new head of editorial content, taking over from Anna Wintour, who is stepping down after nearly four decades.

    The 134-year-old magazine announced the appointment on Tuesday.

    Wintour, 75, remains chief content officer for Conde Nast and global editorial director of American Vogue and its 27 editions around the globe. She will also continue to serve as the chief content officer at Conde Nast, the iconic brand’s parent company that also owns storied brands including Vanity Fair and GQ, and will focus on major events like the Met Gala.

    Malle, editor of Vogue.com, may be stepping into Wintour’s low-heeled slingbacks, but she will report to the original wearer while taking over day-to-day operations at the US edition. And gone is the storied “editor-in-chief” title that Wintour held for nearly 40 years.

    Malle, 39, has spent more than a decade at Vogue, most recently as editor of Vogue.com and co-host of the Vogue podcast, The Run-Through.

    The daughter of actress Candice Bergen and filmmaker Louis Malle, she joined Vogue as social editor in 2011, moved on to contributing editor in 2016 and has held her current position since 2023. She has overseen high-profile features, including one of former US President Joe Biden’s granddaughter Naomi Biden’s prewedding shoot and an interview with Lauren Sanchez, then fiancee and now wife of Amazon tycoon Jeff Bezos.

    The news that Malle got the job comes in the run-up to the latest round of shows at New York Fashion Week, starting next week, and amid the Venice Film Festival, which includes a new documentary about her father. Her appointment is effective immediately.

    “Chloe has proven often that she can find the balance between American Vogue’s long, singular history and its future on the front lines of the new,” Wintour said in the statement on Malle’s appointment.

    Under Malle’s leadership, direct traffic to Vogue.com doubled, and the site saw double-digit growth across all key metrics, according to the statement on her new job. Site traffic now consistently reaches 14.5 million unique visitors monthly.

    Risk-taker

    Wintour has shaped US Vogue’s voice since 1988, and turned the Met Gala from an elite New York fundraiser into an internationally watched cultural spectacle.

    Almost synonymous with the Vogue brand, Wintour is also widely considered an inspiration for “Miranda Priestly”, the fashion editor portrayed by actress Meryl Streep in The Devil Wears Prada movie.

    Vogue was founded as a society journal 134 years ago. After Conde Nast acquired it in 1909, it became a traditional industry mainstay with models on the cover, static close-up photography done in studios and a focus on high fashion and heavy makeup.

    Wintour, a risk-taker who took over the title in 1988, saw the mass appeal in a broader approach. She expanded international editions, elevated fashion’s connections to pop culture and began putting celebrities, athletes, music stars and politicians on the covers. Wintour went for a high-low approach to fashion and favoured storytelling in photoshoots done outdoors.

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  • Azelastine nasal spray significantly reduces SARS-CoV-2 infections in clinical trial

    Azelastine nasal spray significantly reduces SARS-CoV-2 infections in clinical trial

    The trial, led by Professor Robert Bals, Director of the Department of Internal Medicine V at Saarland University Medical Center and Professor of Internal Medicine at Saarland University, divided the 450 participants into two groups. The treatment group of 227 individuals used an azelastine nasal spray three times a day over a 56-day period. During that same period, the 223 participants in the control group used a placebo spray three times a day. Robert Bals summarized the key finding as follows: ‘During the observation period, 2.2% of the participants in the azelastine group became infected with SARS-CoV-2; in the placebo group, it was 6.7%-three times as many.’ All infections were confirmed by PCR testing.

    In addition to showing a marked reduction in coronavirus infections, the azelastine group also displayed fewer symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infections, a lower overall number of confirmed respiratory infections, and, unexpectedly, a reduced incidence of rhinovirus infections, another major cause of respiratory illness. In the treatment group, 1.8% developed a rhinovirus infection, compared to 6.3% in the placebo group-a proportion similar to that seen for SARS-CoV-2.

    Azelastine nasal spray has been available for decades as an over-the-counter treatment for hay fever. Previous in vitro studies on azelastine had already suggested antiviral effects against SARS-CoV-2 and other respiratory viruses. ‘This clinical trial is the first to demonstrate a protective effect in a real-world setting,’ says Professor Bals.

    For Robert Bals, the results suggest practical applications: ‘Azelastine nasal spray could provide an additional easily accessible prophylactic to complement existing protective measures, especially for vulnerable groups, during periods of high infection rates, or before travelling.’ But Professor Bals also stressed the importance of further research: ‘Our results highlight the need for larger, multicentre trials to continue exploring the use of azelastine nasal sprays as an on-demand preventive treatment, and to examine its potential effectiveness against other respiratory pathogens.’

    Besides Professor Bals, the randomized, double-blind phase 2 study ‘CONTAIN’ also involved the Institute of Clinical Pharmacy (Professor Thorsten Lehr, Dr. Dominik Selzer), the Institute of Virology (Professor Sigrun Smola), and the Saarbrücken-based pharmaceutical company URSAPHARM Arzneimittel GmbH, which sponsored the study and manufactured the investigational product. The Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland (HIPS) contributed through the research groups of Professor Smola and Professor Bals. The project serves as an excellent example of successful collaboration between academic research, industry partners and public health initiatives in the Saarland region.

    Source:

    Journal reference:

    Lehr, T., et al. (2025). Azelastine Nasal Spray for Prevention of SARS-CoV-2 Infections. JAMA Internal Medicine. doi.org/10.1001/jamainternmed.2025.4283

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  • How Stellar Mass And Disc Size Shape The Formation And Migration Of Super-Earths

    How Stellar Mass And Disc Size Shape The Formation And Migration Of Super-Earths

    Growth tracks of a single planet injected at r = 3 AU and t = 104 yr. In the irradiated case (left), this results in the formation of a super-Earth at the inner disc edge for all stellar masses and disc sizes. In the viscous heating case (right), the protoplanet grows into a giant planet for high stellar masses as well as for solar-mass stars with sufficiently large discs. — astro-ph.EP

    The occurrence rate of close-in super-Earths is higher around M-dwarfs compared to stars of higher masses.

    In this work we aim to understand how the super-Earth population is affected by both the stellar mass, the size of the protoplanetary disc, and viscous heating. We utilise a standard protoplanetary disc model with both irradiated and viscous heating together with a pebble accretion model to simulate the formation and migration of planets.

    We find that if the disc is heated purely through stellar irradiation, inwards migration of super-Earths is very efficient, resulting in the close-in super-Earth fraction increasing with increasing stellar mass.

    In contrast, when viscous heating is included, planets can undergo outwards migration, delaying migration to the inner edge of the protoplanetary disc, which causes a fraction of super-Earth planets to grow to become giant planets instead.

    This results in a significant reduction of inner super-Earths around high-mass stars and an increase in the number of giant planets, both of which mirror observed features of the planet population around high-mass stars. This effect is most pronounced when the protoplanetary disc is large, since such discs evolve over a longer time-scale. We also test a model when we inject protoplanets at a fixed time early on in the disc lifetime.

    In this case, the fraction of close-in super-Earths decreases with increasing stellar mass in both the irradiated case and viscous case, since longer disc lifetimes around high-mass stars allows for planets to grow into giants instead of super-Earths for most injection locations.

    Jesper Nielsen, Anders Johansen

    Comments: 19 Pages, 16 figures, accepted for publication in A&A
    Subjects: Earth and Planetary Astrophysics (astro-ph.EP)
    Cite as: arXiv:2508.21627 [astro-ph.EP] (or arXiv:2508.21627v1 [astro-ph.EP] for this version)
    https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2508.21627
    Focus to learn more
    Submission history
    From: Jesper Nielsen
    [v1] Fri, 29 Aug 2025 13:39:28 UTC (3,995 KB)
    https://arxiv.org/abs/2508.21627
    Astrobiology,

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  • The Uranus Flagship: Investigating New Paradigms for Outer Solar System Exploration Workshop Summary Report

    The Uranus Flagship: Investigating New Paradigms for Outer Solar System Exploration Workshop Summary Report

    Uranus Flagship Workshop — astro-ph.IM

    This white paper is a summary of the Uranus Flagship Workshop that took place 21 to 23 May 2024 at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. Co-led by Goddard and Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab conveners, we had a broad, international, Science Organizing Committee, and a largely early career Local Organizing Committee from APL and GSFC.

    From prior workshops, it was apparent that the community was wildly enthusiastic about starting a mission, but lacked focus on what was possible or where to begin. Thus, the purpose of our workshop was to discuss practical aspects of the next planetary flagship and how we can employ new paradigms to better enable robust outer planet exploration.

    To enable this goal, we introduced the community to the best practices and lessons learned from previous missions and NASA-commissioned studies, and discussed the challenges involved with a mission so far from the Earth/Sun.

    The underlying workshop purpose was to steward the community towards a more practical mission design approach that will enable the development of this mission, as well as future missions, on a shorter cadence by setting expectations and having difficult discussions early in development. Because of the time scales involved in this mission, special effort was made towards early career inclusion and participation.

    Amy Simon, Louise Prockter, Ian Cohen, Kathleen Mandt, Lynnae Quick

    Subjects: Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics (astro-ph.IM); Earth and Planetary Astrophysics (astro-ph.EP)
    Cite as: arXiv:2508.21074 [astro-ph.IM] (or arXiv:2508.21074v1 [astro-ph.IM] for this version)
    https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2508.21074
    Focus to learn more
    Submission history
    From: Amy Simon
    [v1] Mon, 11 Aug 2025 12:57:46 UTC (2,876 KB)
    https://arxiv.org/abs/2508.21074
    Astrobiology,

    Explorers Club Fellow, ex-NASA Space Station Payload manager/space biologist, Away Teams, Journalist, Lapsed climber, Synaesthete, Na’Vi-Jedi-Freman-Buddhist-mix, ASL, Devon Island and Everest Base Camp veteran, (he/him) 🖖🏻

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  • Statsig and OpenAI: A New Chapter for Product Experimentation

    Statsig and OpenAI: A New Chapter for Product Experimentation

    The Statsig story actually begins years before the company was founded. Our former partner Mike Vernal worked closely with Vijaye Raji at Facebook (now Meta), where Vijaye made an indelible mark. He was one of the early engineers at Meta who started multiple key lines of business, including building Facebook Marketplace and running their Seattle office. 

    When Vijaye was ready to start his own company, the whole Sequoia partnership was eager to be part of the journey from day one. We were thrilled to lead their Series A in February 2021 and then their Series B a year later. As we deepened our partnership, Dannie Herzberg and I were impressed by Vijaye’s ability to attract and retain world-class talent in their home base of Seattle and their knack for non-stop shipping great products. It’s built into their DNA – ask anyone at Statsig who maintains their website, and they’ll laugh and point to the CEO’s desk.

    Today, we are happy to share that OpenAI has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Statsig. As a part of this acquisition, the entire Statsig team will be joining OpenAI. Statsig will continue operating independently and serving its customers out of its Seattle office. Vijaye will take a leadership position at OpenAI as CTO of the Applications business.

    In the AI era, it is easier than ever to generate everything from code to marketing copy. In this new paradigm, figuring out which output is best becomes the hardest part. Statsig brings the perfect complement: while AI can create countless variations, Statsig provides the rigorous testing framework needed to determine what actually works in the real world. Some of the best product teams build on the Statsig platform, including teams at OpenAI, Atlassian, Notion, Figma, Milwaukee Tools, Microsoft and thousands of other companies. 

    Congratulations to Vijaye and the entire Statsig team on this new chapter! We’re grateful to be part of the journey, and can’t wait to see what this team builds next.

    The closing of the acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approval.

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  • Exosomes carry key indicators of biological aging

    Exosomes carry key indicators of biological aging

    A new research paper featured on the cover of Volume 17, Issue 8 of Aging (Aging-US) was published on July 30, 2025, titled “Exosomes released from senescent cells and circulatory exosomes isolated from human plasma reveal aging-associated proteomic and lipid signatures.”

    In this study, led by first authors Sandip Kumar Patel and Joanna Bons, along with corresponding author Birgit Schilling from The Buck Institute for Research on Aging, researchers found that exosomes-tiny particles released by cells-carry molecular signatures that indicate both biological aging and cellular senescence. These signatures include proteins, lipids, and microRNAs associated with inflammation, oxidative stress, and tissue remodeling. The findings could enhance our understanding of biological aging and help in developing future anti-aging therapies.

    Senescence is a state in which cells stop dividing but remain metabolically active. These cells often release harmful substances, known collectively as the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP), that can affect nearby tissues. This study shows that exosomes are an important component of this secretory profile.

    The researchers analyzed exosomes from senescent human lung cells and from the blood plasma of both young and older adults. They identified over 1,300 proteins and 247 lipids within these particles. Many of these molecules were significantly altered with age.

    “In parallel, a small human plasma cohort from young (20–26 years) and old (65–74 years) individuals revealed 1,350 exosome proteins and 171 plasma exosome proteins were altered in old individuals.”

    Exosomes from older individuals contained more inflammation-related proteins and fewer antioxidants, while those from senescent cells showed lipid changes associated with membrane integrity and cellular stress. These changes suggest that exosomes may play a role in spreading senescence to nearby cells, a process known as secondary senescence.

    The study also identified distinct patterns in microRNAs-small molecules that regulate gene expression-found in the blood of older adults. Some of these, including miR-27a and miR-874, have previously been associated with cognitive decline and chronic illnesses, highlighting their potential as biomarkers for biological aging.

    Although the study involved a limited number of samples, it provides strong early evidence that exosomes reflect the molecular changes associated with aging. By showing how these particles carry and possibly spread aging-related signals throughout the body, the research opens new possibilities for diagnosing and treating age-related diseases.

    Source:

    Journal reference:

    Patel, S. K., et al. (2025). Exosomes released from senescent cells and circulatory exosomes isolated from human plasma reveal aging-associated proteomic and lipid signatures. Aging. doi.org/10.18632/aging.206292

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  • ‘Age of Innocence’ Netflix Series Adds Four to Cast

    ‘Age of Innocence’ Netflix Series Adds Four to Cast

    The “Age of Innocence” limited series at Netflix has cast four lead roles.

    Variety has learned that Camila Morrone (“Daisy Jones & the Six,” “Something Very Bad is Going to Happen”), Kristine Froseth (“The Buccaneers,” “Oh, Canada”), Ben Radcliffe (“Masters of the Air,” “Anatomy of a Scandal”) and character actress Margo Martindale (“The Americans,” Justified”) are all set for major roles in the streaming adaptation of the Edith Wharton novel of the same name.

    Morrone will star as Ellen Olenska, while Froseth will play May Welland. Radcliffe will play Newland Archer and Martindale will play Mrs. Manson-Mingott. All four are series regulars. Full character descriptions can be found below.

    “The Age of Innocence” series was originally announced in April. The official logline for the series states:

    “Based on Edith Wharton’s classic novel of forbidden love in 19th century New York, ‘The Age Of Innocence’ is a passionate and heart-rending will-they/won’t-they love triangle exploring themes of freedom, duty, identity and love in all its forms. This fresh take is true to Wharton’s novel but will speak to a new generation as we traverse the ballrooms and bedrooms of these young people, asking the question what is love — and what is lust? And should we ultimately be driven by our heads or by our hearts?”

    Emma Frost will write all episodes and serve as executive producer and showrunner. Peter Chernin, Jenno Topping, Tracey Cook of Chernin Entertainment will executive produce. Pavlina Hatoupis will also executive produce. Shannon Murphy will executive produce and direct the first three episodes, while Lisa Bruhlmann and Natalia Leite will also direct.

    Character Descriptions:

    Camila Morrone as Ellen Olenska, May’s intelligent and independent cousin, who returns to New York after a failed marriage to Count Stanislas Olenski, a Polish nobleman. A free spirit who is playful, smart, and strong-willed, yet carries conflict and guilt surrounding her new position in society.

    Kristine Froseth as May Welland, is a kind and genuine woman who is a product of her class in society. Traditional, a rule follower and believer in the status quo, but not without rebellion..

    Ben Radcliffe as Newland Archer is a handsome, progressive and intelligent society gentleman, Newland craves a deeper and more passionate connection to the world and someone in it..

    Margot Martindale as Mrs. Manson-Mingott May and Ellen’s grandmother, who is entertaining, scurrilous, defiant, capricious and stubborn.

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