After a degree cum laude in Pharmacy from Sapienza University of Rome, Savina Apolloni pursued master’s degrees in “Clinical Trials” and “Organic Chemistry of Natural Substances” at the same university. She completed her PhD in Neuroscience at the University of Tor Vergata, conducting research at the Cellular Neurobiology Laboratory at Fondazione Santa Lucia/IBCN-CNR in Rome, Italy. Currently working as a Research scientist at the Neurobiochemistry Laboratory in the Department of Biology at Tor Vergata University in Rome. She collaborates with several research groups, and she is author of numerous scientific publications in international peer-reviewed journals (https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5782-1665)

With extensive expertise in cellular neurobiology and neuropharmacology, Dr. Apolloni focuses on both in vivo and in vitro models. Her primary research interest lies in investigating the pathological impact of neuroinflammation in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and characterizing the pharmacological and molecular aspects of microglia-mediated signaling in neurodegeneration.

Presently, her research encompasses diverse areas, including investigating the potential of niclosamide, an FDA-approved drug, to address neuroinflammation and fibrosis in two transgenic ALS models. This is part of a pilot project funded by Fondazione Italiana di Ricerca sulla Sclerosi Laterale Amiotrofica – AriSLA, titled “Repurposing niclosamide in ALS.” Additionally, she is exploring the involvement of S100A4 in the pathogenesis of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy within a project funded by AFM-Telethon under the title “Targeting S100A4 to study the macrophages-muscle cells cross-talk in models of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.”