Lovo Download
Timothee Cazares
Methods: This analysis includes patients from HGB-206 Group C and HGB-210 who received lovo-cel using the current HSPC mobilization and manufacturing process. Patients with SCD and recurrent severe vaso-occlusive events (VOEs) or history of overt stroke underwent plerixafor mobilization and apheresis followed by myeloablative busulfan conditioning and lovo-cel infusion. After 24 months of follow-up post lovo-cel infusion, patients enrolled in the long-term study LTF-307 (NCT04628585). Lab evaluations, SCD-related outcomes (eg, resolution of VOEs), globin response (a composite endpoint evaluating HbAT87Q percentage and total Hb), and safety are reported up to 60 months. An independent Event Adjudication Committee confirmed VOEs met protocol criteria. HRQOL data from Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS)-57 domains of pain interference, fatigue, and pain intensity are reported up to 48 months.
I used to tell people who asked that I was half Fijian and half American. Now I know I am not half of anything; I am double, both, more. Fijian and American. Being mixed race is an expansion of identities, not a reduction.
I spent the first five years of my life in Suva, Fiji. Seeing photos of my childhood there brings back sense memories: sticky, sweet sugarcane sticks, wind rustling in coconut trees, water splashing, salty skin drying in the sunshine. Most of my experiences in Fiji are of visiting family: diving in the colorful reefs of Taveuni, driving the barely maintained roads of Savusavu to explore our family land, sitting on pandanus mats drinking Kava with cousins, and eating smoky, savory food served out of earth ovens called lovos.
Guam was my first time, technically, living in the United States. This tiny island territory was so very different from the green, verdant jungles of PNG. It was so small, and all the trees were short (typhoons are common). The houses were boxy and entirely made of concrete. The US military influence was overwhelming, with a massive air base in the north and an equally massive naval base further south.
On Guam, I discovered the joy of diving, and worked as a diver for a tourist submarine (we would lure fish to the submarine windows for the people inside). I stayed away from the barracuda food (those fish do not mess around) and stuck with feeding the angel and parrot fish (smaller, less likely to take a finger). All my summer jobs required ocean diving time.
* Referenced from the World Regional Geography: People, Places and Globalization by Royal Berglee, Ph.D., Chapter 13.1, University of Minnesota, 2012. The text was slightly modified for space and has been used in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Tags:Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Mont,Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander Heritage Month,Diversity,Fiji,Heritage,History,Melanesia,Micronesia,Pacific Islander,Polynesia,Racial Equity
The Massachusetts-based biotech is proposing lovo-cel as a potential one-time therapy for sickle cell disease (SCD) in patients aged 12 years and older with a history of vaso-occlusive events. In its BLA, which the FDA accepted and granted Priority Review in June 2023, bluebird presented efficacy data from 36 patients in the Phase I/II HGB-206 study with a median follow-up of 32 months, as well as two patients from the Phase III HGB-210 study who were followed for 18 months each.
While the lovo is being prepared, fresh meats like chicken, pork, and seafood are marinated in lush, hand-squeezed coconut cream and spices before being artfully woven with palm and banana leaves. Pulasami, a Fijian dish made of taro leaves stuffed with corned beef, onions, and coconut cream, is often included, as are a range of vegetables native to Fiji food: dalo (root of the taro plant), cassava (root of the tapioca plant), and uvi (wild yam).
What emerges is a wonderfully smoky and tender BBQ, meant to be shared community-style. The pork and pulasami falls apart at the touch of a fork, the chicken has soaked up amazing smoky flavor within its juicy meat, and the vegetables are delectably steamed and perfectly paired with a range of sauces and accoutrements.
A lovo is an underground oven used as a traditional Fijian method of cooking food in large quantities to bring together communities or groups. It can be likened to a Fijian version of a barbeque or grilling, with somewhat more smoky flavours.
Lovo feasts have also become a popular inclusion at many resorts in Fiji. Lovo night is often part of a regular weekly tradition so be on the lookout during your stay. Local staff love to share this meaningful experience with visitors, allowing guests to get a real (and delicious!) taste of Fijian culture.
Chicken, pork, lamb and fresh locally caught fish can be marinated in herbs, spices and coconut cream squeezed by hand from local coconuts before being wrapped in foil and placed closest to the hot coals.
Finally, the vegetables are added. These can include breadfruit and root vegetables such as cassava (tapioca root), dalo (taro root), turnips, uvi (wild yams) or sweet potatoes seasoned with salt, pepper and olive oil before being wrapped in foil and placed on the coals.
Sometimes food is also wrapped in beautifully braided banana- or palm leaf parcels, with or without the foil. This provides additional protection from the hot coals while imparting flavour and fragrance to the food inside. The food inside the parcels is steamed and infused with local flavour.
Desserts can also be added on top with the vegetables. These can include a soft, sticky dish called vakalolo, made from coconut and cassava drizzled with caramel sauce, or steamed egg custards. Yum! Are you hungry yet?
Additional banana leaves are layered on top of the food to lock in as much smoke as possible to provide heat for the oven and the smoky flavour. This also makes the food moist and tender. Potato sacks may be added on top of the leaves to provide a barrier and then the mound is covered with soil. Traditionally, food is cooked for between three and four hours, with the men tending to it and rotating the food over if needed part way through the cooking time.
After the food is cooked it is unearthed from the oven, with the soil, sacks and leaves removed layer by layer to finally reveal the steaming goodness. The cooked deliciousness is placed on large banana leaves to cool before serving the feast buffet style with tasty sauces and accompaniments. Bringing people together afterwards to share in the meal is a highlight of the experience.
Here at the Jean-Michel Cousteau Resort, we pride ourselves on offering not only luxurious, relaxing accommodation and facilities, but also a taste of the incredible heritage and traditions of the local Fijian culture. One of the amazing experiences that hold a special place in the hearts' of our guests is our Fijian lovo, a banquet cooked using an earth oven.
This traditional technique involves digging a pit into the ground and placing hot coals inside. Various ingredients, from meat to vegetables and palusami (taro leaves filled with corned beef, onions and coconut cream) are then wrapped up and placed over the coals. Everything from fish to chicken and pork can be cooked in a lovo and will also sometimes also be bundled up in banana leafs to retain their moisture.
Once the food is inside, the pit is covered in banana leaves, soil or potato sacks and left to slow cook for several hours. Once time is up, the pit is unearthed to reveal deliciously cooked, tender food.
Jean-Michel Cousteau Resort, an island paradise of relaxation and immersive exploration. Our award-winning Kids Bula Club features eco-programmes for young adventurers, with exclusive nannies for children under 6 and Fiji buddies for older kids and teens included in our all-inclusive rates.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved lovotibeglogene autotemcel, a gene therapy from Bluebird Bio known as lovo-cel, for treating sickle cell disease (SCD) patients ages 12 and older who have a history of vaso-occlusive events (VOEs), including painful vaso-occlusive crises (VOCs), acute chest syndrome, and other sickle cell-related complications.
The treatment was approved along with Casgevy (exagamglogene autotemcel), another gene therapy from Vertex Pharmaceuticals and CRISPR Therapeutics. They are the first cell-based gene therapies to earn approval for SCD in the U.S.
The HBB gene encodes a subunit of hemoglobin, the protein that helps red blood cells carry oxygen in the body. In SCD, mutations in that gene lead to a faulty version of hemoglobin, dubbed hemoglobin S, being produced that clumps up in red blood cells and causes them to take on a sickle-like shape, becoming more sticky and rigid than normal. This can restrict blood flow and compromise the transport of oxygen to certain tissues, increasing the risk of painful VOCs due to oxygen deprivation.
Safety data covered 54 patients who had initiated the process of stem cell collection. The most common side effects included sores of the lips, mouth, and throat, or stomatitis, and low platelet, red, and white blood cell counts.
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. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website.
The BLA filing brings bluebird closer to its competitors CRISPR Therapeutics and Vertex Pharmaceuticals, which finished a rolling BLA for their CRISPR-based gene therapy exa-cel for the same condition earlier this month.
The Somerville, Massachusetts-headquartered company has also requested a priority review. The BLA specifically targets sickle cell disease patients who are ages 12 years and above and have a history of vaso-occlusive events.
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