Category: graduate-students

Maria Vittoria joined the Hata Lab in October 2024 as a visiting Ph.D. student from Roberto Chiarle’s lab at the University of Torino. In Torino, her research focused on identifying new therapeutic strategies for lung cancers harboring the EML4-ALK fusion gene that have become resistant to ALK-specific tyrosine kinase inhibitors. She worked on generating in vitro and in vivo models of TKI-resistant ALK+ NSCLCs to test the synergy between small molecule inhibitors of nuclear export and second- and third-generation ALK inhibitors, aiming to overcome resistance and prevent tumor recurrence. At the Hata Lab, Maria Vittoria is interested in delving deeper into the genomic instability that drives acquired drug resistance and promotes the evolution of drug-tolerant persister cells (DTPs) in both EGFR-mutated and ALK-rearranged NSCLC. Outside of the lab, she enjoys exploring the Italian -now American- countryside, reading, and baking.

Wafa is a graduate student in the lab within the Biological and Biomedical Sciences(BBS) program at Harvard Medical School. For her undergraduate studies, she attended Mount Holyoke College’19 where she majored in Biochemistry. During this time, she worked in the lab of Craig Woodard and studied the regulatory pathways involved in the developmental processes in Drosophila melanogaster. After college Wafa joined the Hata lab, as a research technician, where she studied the mechanisms of acquired resistance to Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase (ALK) driven Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC). As a Ph.D. student, Wafa aims to combine her diverse research backgrounds to explore mechanisms of tumorigenesis, cancer metastasis, and acquired resistance to leverage this knowledge towards the development of targeted therapies. Outside of science, Wafa is an avid cricket fan and in her free time, she enjoys playing tennis, going out with friends to explore the Boston area, and spending time in nature.