Meet the Team

We are a diverse group of physicians & scientists with expertise in cell biology, pharmacology, genetics, immunology and computational biology. If you would like to join our team, please contact us.

Aaron Hata, MD-Ph.D.

Principle Investigator

Aaron received his MD and Ph.D. degrees at Vanderbilt University in Nashville TN, where he studied the structure and function of prostaglandin receptors in the laboratory of Dr. Richard Breyer in the Department of Pharmacology. He completed an Internal Medicine residency at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, followed by a Medical Oncology fellowship at Dana Farber Cancer Institute and Massachusetts General Hospital. He performed his post-doctoral research in the laboratory of Dr. Jeffrey Engelman in the MGH Cancer Center, where he focused on understanding mechanisms of drug sensitivity and resistance to targeted therapies for lung cancer. In 2016, he joined the MGH Cancer Center faculty as principal investigator.

Assistant Physician

Hematology and Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital

Assistant Professor of Medicine

Harvard Medical School

Associate Member

Broad Institute

Post-Doctoral Fellows

Toshio Fujino, MD-Ph.D.

Toshio joined the Hata Lab in April 2022. He received his MD at Nagoya City University, Japan and practiced as a thoracic surgeon in Japan, where he developed a great interest in cancer biology. He then obtained his Ph.D. at Kindai University, Japan, where he studied the resistance mechanism to MET-TKIs in lung cancer harboring MET exon 14 skipping mutation in the laboratory of Dr. Tetsuya Mitsudomi. Toshio is currently focusing…

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James Heather, Ph.D.

Jamie completed his Bachelor and Masters at the University of Sussex, before undertaking his PhD at the University College London. There he worked with Professors Benjamin Chain and Mahdad Noursadeghi, developing methods for high-throughput sequencing and analysis of T cell receptor (TCR) repertoires. He moved from London to MGH to work with Mark Cobbold, exploring immunopeptidomes and TCR repertoires in a range of cancers. Staying within the department, he moved…

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Divya Jayaram, Ph.D.

In 2024, Divya joined Hata Lab after earning her Master's in Biology from the Indian Institute of Science Education & Research, Trivandrum, India, and completing her Ph.D. in health sciences at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel, under Prof. Etta Livneh. In Prof. Livneh's lab, she discovered a novel mechanism regulating PKC activity through an upstream ORF-encoded peptide, revealing its significance in cancer therapy. Her study showed a uORF with…

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Radhika Koranne, Ph.D.

Radhika joined the Hata lab in 2022. She did her Masters in Virology from the National Institute of Virology, India. Radhika received PhD in Cell and Molecular biology from the University of Toledo, Ohio. During her graduate school in Dr. William R. Taylor lab her research focused on the spindle assembly checkpoint and mitotic spindle architecture. In the Hata lab she is working on understanding the role of tumor micro-environment…

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Chendi Li, Ph.D.

Chendi received her Bachelor of Science degree in Biological Science as an honors graduate from Shaanxi Normal University, China. She then completed a PhD in the Department of Biochemistry at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) where her research in the laboratory of Dr. Stephen Farmer focused on understanding the mechanisms of energy expenditure and stem cell fate in brown adipose tissue. Chendi joined the Hata laboratory as a research…

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Takashi Sakai, MD-Ph.D.

In April 2024, Takashi became a member of the Hata lab. He received his MD from Tsukuba University, Japan, and has been working as a thoracic surgeon. He developed an interest in cancer biology related to thoracic malignancies while working. His research focused on the tumor microenvironment of NSCLC at the National Cancer Center, Japan, and Toho University in Japan, and he finished his PhD at Toho University under the…

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Graduate Students

Maria Vittoria Di Marco, M.S.

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…

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Wafa Malik, B.A.

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…

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Research Technicians

Christina Anastasia, B.S.

Christina joined the Hata Lab in June of 2024 after completing her BS in Biological Sciences and a minor in Nutrition and Food Sciences at the University of Vermont. At UVM, Christina worked in the Gotelli lab, researching biological methods to control the increasing population of Emerald Ash Borers. She also engaged in remote neurology research at St. Elizabeth's Medical Center, served as Vice President of the UVM Women in…

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Ishmarie Colón, B.S.

Ishmarie joined the Hata lab in June of 2023 after completing her BS in Biomedical Sciences at the University of South Florida. At USF, she worked in the Davila and Locke labs studying the development of gene-engineered cell therapies targeting cancer cells in preclinical models. In the Hata lab, she works with Jamie studying the development of immunotherapies to treat ALK+ lung cancer. She hopes to later pursue a Ph.D.…

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Aimee Gleason, B.S.

Aimee joined the Hata Lab in July of 2024 after receiving her B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Rochester Institute of Technology. While studying, she completed an internship with the DeKosky Lab at the Ragon Institute of Mass General, MIT, and Harvard. There, Aimee conducted research on optimizing the lab's high throughput platform to capture and screen natively paired alpha beta TCRs, then adapted the platform to screen gamma delta TCRs…

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Emily Hensley, B.A.

Emily joined the Hata Lab in June 2022 after receiving her BA from College of the Holy Cross.  At Holy Cross, Emily was a Biology/Chinese double major, and worked in Dr. Alexis Hill's Drosophila Neurobiology lab.  Her work focused on the gene seizure (sei) and how it affects developmental time in Drosophila, along with determining which cell types express sei.  In the Hata lab, she is a member of the Model Development Team which seeks to create cell…

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Lauren Highfield, B.A.

Lauren joined the Hata Lab in August 2023 after completing her B.A. in Biology from the University of Virginia. During her time at UVA, Lauren worked as a Certified Nursing Assistant for UVA Health and as a scribe for Shenandoah Valley Orthopedics & Sports Medicine. In the Hata Lab, Lauren is part of the Model Development Team and hopes to pursue a career in medicine in the future. Outside of…

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Katie Parker B.S.

Katie joined the Hata lab in December 2021 after earning her BS/MS in Biology from Tufts University. At Tufts, she conducted undergraduate research with Julia Gouvea, studying the learning and teaching practices of Biology at multiple grade levels. Dr. Gouvea's research investigates how model-based reasoning as a biological practice can support deeper learning for students. In the Hata lab, Katie works with Samar on identifying therapeutic strategies for KRAS NSCLS.…

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Melissa Vieira, B.S.

Melissa joined the Hata Lab in September of 2024 after completing her B.S. in Biology at the University of Massachusetts Boston. At UMB, Melissa worked in the Rister lab, researching how vitamin A deprivation affects the structure, function, and development of the retinas of Drosophila melanogaster. Throughout her undergraduate career, she worked as a nurse assistant, was a peer mentor for the Pre-Medical Freshman Success Community, and volunteered at the…

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Jamie Wang, B.A.

Jamie joined the Hata Lab in February 2024 after completing her BS in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology at the University of Washington. While completing her studies, she was a member of the Fuller Lab, where she studied viral pathogenesis and the development of antivirals, vaccines, and immunotherapies. She also was a member of the Iribarren research group, where she worked on developing a urine metabolite test for tuberculosis drug…

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Administration

Lia Limone, M.S.

Lia joined the Hata Lab and MGH Thoracic Oncology Group as Program Manager in May 2018. Prior to joining MGH, Lia was a Clinical Admin Support Specialist with the GU group at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute. Lia received a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and a Master of Science in Health and Wellness Management from Merrimack College. Outside the lab Lia enjoys hanging out with family and friends…

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Alumni

Alumni
Where They Started
Where They Are Now
Maria Gomez-Caraballo
Medical Student, Duke University Medical School
  • Alumni
  • Maria Gomez-Caraballo
  • Where They Started
  • Medical Student, Duke University Medical School
  • Where They Are Now
Sandra Misale
Research Associate, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Instructor, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
  • Alumni
  • Sandra Misale
  • Where They Started
  • Research Associate, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
  • Where They Are Now
  • Instructor, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Sana Raoof
Medical Student, HMS
Resident, Radiation Oncology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
  • Alumni
  • Sana Raoof
  • Where They Started
  • Medical Student, HMS
  • Where They Are Now
  • Resident, Radiation Oncology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Wenjia Su
Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
Visiting Fellow, Karolinska Institute
  • Alumni
  • Wenjia Su
  • Where They Started
  • Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China
  • Where They Are Now
  • Visiting Fellow, Karolinska Institute
Madeena Siddiqui
Pharmacy Student, UCSF
Clinical Science Postdoctoral Fellow, Oncology/Hematology, Genentech
  • Alumni
  • Madeena Siddiqui
  • Where They Started
  • Pharmacy Student, UCSF
  • Where They Are Now
  • Clinical Science Postdoctoral Fellow, Oncology/Hematology, Genentech
Jackson Fatherree
Graduate Student, Tufts University
Post-Doctoral Research Fellow, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
  • Alumni
  • Jackson Fatherree
  • Where They Started
  • Graduate Student, Tufts University
  • Where They Are Now
  • Post-Doctoral Research Fellow, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
Manrose Singh
Clinical Research Assistant, MGH
DO-PhD student at the New York Institute of Technology
  • Alumni
  • Manrose Singh
  • Where They Started
  • Clinical Research Assistant, MGH
  • Where They Are Now
  • DO-PhD student at the New York Institute of Technology
Samantha Bilton
Clinical Research Assistant, University of Chicago
Medical student, Tulane University School of Medicine
  • Alumni
  • Samantha Bilton
  • Where They Started
  • Clinical Research Assistant, University of Chicago
  • Where They Are Now
  • Medical student, Tulane University School of Medicine
Varuna Nangia
MD-PhD Student, University of Colorado Medical School
MD-PhD Student, University of Colorado Medical School
  • Alumni
  • Varuna Nangia
  • Where They Started
  • MD-PhD Student, University of Colorado Medical School
  • Where They Are Now
  • MD-PhD Student, University of Colorado Medical School
Daria Timonina
Graduate Student, University of Southern California
Graduate Student, University of Southern California
  • Alumni
  • Daria Timonina
  • Where They Started
  • Graduate Student, University of Southern California
  • Where They Are Now
  • Graduate Student, University of Southern California
Leila Dardaei
Research Investigator II, Bristol-Myers Squibb
Principal Scientist, Bristol-Myers Squibb
  • Alumni
  • Leila Dardaei
  • Where They Started
  • Research Investigator II, Bristol-Myers Squibb
  • Where They Are Now
  • Principal Scientist, Bristol-Myers Squibb
Ammal Abbasi
Graduate Student, University of California San Diego
Graduate Student, University of California San Diego
  • Alumni
  • Ammal Abbasi
  • Where They Started
  • Graduate Student, University of California San Diego
  • Where They Are Now
  • Graduate Student, University of California San Diego
Philicia Moonsamy
Resident, General Surgery, MGH
Cardiothoracic Surgery Fellow, MGH
  • Alumni
  • Philicia Moonsamy
  • Where They Started
  • Resident, General Surgery, MGH
  • Where They Are Now
  • Cardiothoracic Surgery Fellow, MGH
Catherine Meador
Medical Oncology Fellow, DFCI/MGH
Instructor in Medicine, MGH
  • Alumni
  • Catherine Meador
  • Where They Started
  • Medical Oncology Fellow, DFCI/MGH
  • Where They Are Now
  • Instructor in Medicine, MGH
Kankana Bardhan
Scientist I, Seres Therapeutic in Cambridge, MA
Scientist II, Seres Therapeutic in Cambridge, MA
  • Alumni
  • Kankana Bardhan
  • Where They Started
  • Scientist I, Seres Therapeutic in Cambridge, MA
  • Where They Are Now
  • Scientist II, Seres Therapeutic in Cambridge, MA
Kathy Shaw
Research Associate, Apic Bio, Inc.
Research Associate II, Vesalius Therapeutics
  • Alumni
  • Kathy Shaw
  • Where They Started
  • Research Associate, Apic Bio, Inc.
  • Where They Are Now
  • Research Associate II, Vesalius Therapeutics
Nicole Phan
Clinical Research Coordinator, MGH
Associate Scientist at Bristol Myers Squibb
  • Alumni
  • Nicole Phan
  • Where They Started
  • Clinical Research Coordinator, MGH
  • Where They Are Now
  • Associate Scientist at Bristol Myers Squibb
Heidie Cabanos
Research Fellow, The Scripps Research Institute - Florida
Visiting Scientist, Philippine Council for Health Research and Development - Department of Science and Technology
  • Alumni
  • Heidie Cabanos
  • Where They Started
  • Research Fellow, The Scripps Research Institute - Florida
  • Where They Are Now
  • Visiting Scientist, Philippine Council for Health Research and Development - Department of Science and Technology
Eunice Kim
Graduate Student, Stony Brook University
Graduate Student, Stony Brook University
  • Alumni
  • Eunice Kim
  • Where They Started
  • Graduate Student, Stony Brook University
  • Where They Are Now
  • Graduate Student, Stony Brook University
Yi Shen
PhD candidate, Soochow University
PhD candidate, Soochow University
  • Alumni
  • Yi Shen
  • Where They Started
  • PhD candidate, Soochow University
  • Where They Are Now
  • PhD candidate, Soochow University
Li Wan
Senior Associate, Amgen
Senior Associate, Amgen
  • Alumni
  • Li Wan
  • Where They Started
  • Senior Associate, Amgen
  • Where They Are Now
  • Senior Associate, Amgen
Pranav Gupta
Research Fellow, Albert Einstein College of Medicine in Dr. Edward Schwartz’s lab
Senior Scientist, Ideaya Biosciences
  • Alumni
  • Pranav Gupta
  • Where They Started
  • Research Fellow, Albert Einstein College of Medicine in Dr. Edward Schwartz’s lab
  • Where They Are Now
  • Senior Scientist, Ideaya Biosciences
Kristin Dione
PDA Dental Group
Medical Student, Boston University School of Medicine 
  • Alumni
  • Kristin Dione
  • Where They Started
  • PDA Dental Group
  • Where They Are Now
  • Medical Student, Boston University School of Medicine 
Kylie Prutisto Chang
MD-PhD student, New York University
MD-PhD student, New York University
  • Alumni
  • Kylie Prutisto Chang
  • Where They Started
  • MD-PhD student, New York University
  • Where They Are Now
  • MD-PhD student, New York University
Audris Oh
Senior Clinical Operations Specialist, Syneos Health
Quality Specialist, Biogen
  • Alumni
  • Audris Oh
  • Where They Started
  • Senior Clinical Operations Specialist, Syneos Health
  • Where They Are Now
  • Quality Specialist, Biogen
Aislinn Mayfield
Master's Student, Brandeis University
Biotechnology MS/MBA Graduate Student
  • Alumni
  • Aislinn Mayfield
  • Where They Started
  • Master's Student, Brandeis University
  • Where They Are Now
  • Biotechnology MS/MBA Graduate Student
Aya Shiba
Assistant Professor, University of Tsukuba
Associate Professor, University of Tsukuba 
  • Alumni
  • Aya Shiba
  • Where They Started
  • Assistant Professor, University of Tsukuba
  • Where They Are Now
  • Associate Professor, University of Tsukuba 
Wafa Malik
Graduate Student, Harvard Medical School
Graduate Student, Harvard Medical School
  • Alumni
  • Wafa Malik
  • Where They Started
  • Graduate Student, Harvard Medical School
  • Where They Are Now
  • Graduate Student, Harvard Medical School
Makeba Walcott
SUNY Upstate Medical University
Medical Student, SUNY Upstate Medical University
  • Alumni
  • Makeba Walcott
  • Where They Started
  • SUNY Upstate Medical University
  • Where They Are Now
  • Medical Student, SUNY Upstate Medical University
Nathanial Adams
Discovery analytics, BlueRock Therapeutics
Discovery analytics, BlueRock Therapeutics
  • Alumni
  • Nathanial Adams
  • Where They Started
  • Discovery analytics, BlueRock Therapeutics
  • Where They Are Now
  • Discovery analytics, BlueRock Therapeutics
Naveed Nikpour
MD/MA Student, Stony Brook University School of Medicine
MD/MA Student, Stony Brook University School of Medicine
  • Alumni
  • Naveed Nikpour
  • Where They Started
  • MD/MA Student, Stony Brook University School of Medicine
  • Where They Are Now
  • MD/MA Student, Stony Brook University School of Medicine
Chelsi Napoli
Graduate Student, Stony Brook University
Graduate Student, Stony Brook University
  • Alumni
  • Chelsi Napoli
  • Where They Started
  • Graduate Student, Stony Brook University
  • Where They Are Now
  • Graduate Student, Stony Brook University
Marta Herrero
Master's Student, Universidad Complutense de Madrid
Master's Student, Universidad Complutense de Madrid
  • Alumni
  • Marta Herrero
  • Where They Started
  • Master's Student, Universidad Complutense de Madrid
  • Where They Are Now
  • Master's Student, Universidad Complutense de Madrid
Farrah Wakefield
Research Scientist I, Biomedical Research
Research Scientist I, Biomedical Research
  • Alumni
  • Farrah Wakefield
  • Where They Started
  • Research Scientist I, Biomedical Research
  • Where They Are Now
  • Research Scientist I, Biomedical Research
Satoshi Yoda
Principal Scientist, Tango Therapeutics
Principal Scientist, Tango Therapeutics
  • Alumni
  • Satoshi Yoda
  • Where They Started
  • Principal Scientist, Tango Therapeutics
  • Where They Are Now
  • Principal Scientist, Tango Therapeutics
Haichuan Hu
Shanghai, China
  • Alumni
  • Haichuan Hu
  • Where They Started
  • Shanghai, China
  • Where They Are Now
Linh Phuong Nguyen
MD-PhD Student, Thomas Jefferson University
MD-PhD Student, Thomas Jefferson University
  • Alumni
  • Linh Phuong Nguyen
  • Where They Started
  • MD-PhD Student, Thomas Jefferson University
  • Where They Are Now
  • MD-PhD Student, Thomas Jefferson University
Mohammed Usman Syed
MD-PhD Student, University of Rochester
MD-PhD Student, University of Rochester
  • Alumni
  • Mohammed Usman Syed
  • Where They Started
  • MD-PhD Student, University of Rochester
  • Where They Are Now
  • MD-PhD Student, University of Rochester
Adam Acker
Masters in Medical Sciences at Boston University school of medicine
  • Alumni
  • Adam Acker
  • Where They Started
  • Masters in Medical Sciences at Boston University school of medicine
  • Where They Are Now
Justine Bellier
Accretio Management as a Life Sciences Associate
  • Alumni
  • Justine Bellier
  • Where They Started
  • Accretio Management as a Life Sciences Associate
  • Where They Are Now
Danielle Colucci
Software Bootcamp at General Assembly
  • Alumni
  • Danielle Colucci
  • Where They Started
  • Software Bootcamp at General Assembly
  • Where They Are Now
Sarah Reeves
Graduate Student, Yale University
Graduate Student, Yale University
  • Alumni
  • Sarah Reeves
  • Where They Started
  • Graduate Student, Yale University
  • Where They Are Now
  • Graduate Student, Yale University
Susanna Monroe
Graduate Student, New York University
Graduate Student, New York University
  • Alumni
  • Susanna Monroe
  • Where They Started
  • Graduate Student, New York University
  • Where They Are Now
  • Graduate Student, New York University
Luke Boland
Graduate Student, University of Utah
Graduate Student, University of Utah
  • Alumni
  • Luke Boland
  • Where They Started
  • Graduate Student, University of Utah
  • Where They Are Now
  • Graduate Student, University of Utah
Molly Henderson
Research Assistant, Benoist Lab
Research Assistant, Benoist Lab
  • Alumni
  • Molly Henderson
  • Where They Started
  • Research Assistant, Benoist Lab
  • Where They Are Now
  • Research Assistant, Benoist Lab
Shane Dancer
  • Alumni
  • Shane Dancer
  • Where They Started
  • Where They Are Now
Samar Ghorbanpoor
  • Alumni
  • Samar Ghorbanpoor
  • Where They Started
  • Where They Are Now
Anahita Nimbalkar
Medical Student, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Medical Student, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
  • Alumni
  • Anahita Nimbalkar
  • Where They Started
  • Medical Student, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
  • Where They Are Now
  • Medical Student, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Michelle Cho
MD-PhD Student, University of Colorado School of Medicine
MD-PhD Student, University of Colorado School of Medicine
  • Alumni
  • Michelle Cho
  • Where They Started
  • MD-PhD Student, University of Colorado School of Medicine
  • Where They Are Now
  • MD-PhD Student, University of Colorado School of Medicine
Grace Kelley
Medical Student, Hackensack Meridian Medical School
Medical Student, Hackensack Meridian Medical School
  • Alumni
  • Grace Kelley
  • Where They Started
  • Medical Student, Hackensack Meridian Medical School
  • Where They Are Now
  • Medical Student, Hackensack Meridian Medical School
Sarah Clark
Research Technician II, Weill Cornell
Research Technician II, Weill Cornell
  • Alumni
  • Sarah Clark
  • Where They Started
  • Research Technician II, Weill Cornell
  • Where They Are Now
  • Research Technician II, Weill Cornell
Arjun Nanda
Strategy Consulting Analyst, ClearView Healthcare Partners
Strategy Consulting Analyst, ClearView Healthcare Partners
  • Alumni
  • Arjun Nanda
  • Where They Started
  • Strategy Consulting Analyst, ClearView Healthcare Partners
  • Where They Are Now
  • Strategy Consulting Analyst, ClearView Healthcare Partners
Hideko Isozaki
Professor, Cancer Research Institute, Kanazawa University
Professor, Cancer Research Institute, Kanazawa University
  • Alumni
  • Hideko Isozaki
  • Where They Started
  • Professor, Cancer Research Institute, Kanazawa University
  • Where They Are Now
  • Professor, Cancer Research Institute, Kanazawa University
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