The Director of the Center is identified by the Directors of the constituent Departments. 

Prof. Cristina Limatola, full Professor of Physiology, is the current Director of the Center.

CV: degree in Biological Sciences, 1989; PhD in Biotechnology 1994; visiting PhD student at the Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam (1992-1993); 1993-1996: AIRC (Italian Association for Cancer Research) grant; 1996-1998: post-Doc at the Biophysics Laboratory of the "Regina Elena" Cancer Research Center, Rome; 1998-2004 Researcher at the Biophysics Laboratory of the University of Rome "Sapienza". 2004-2007 Associate Professor in Human Physiology and since 2007- Full Professor at the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology of the University of Rome "La Sapienza". Since 2007- Director of the Laboratory of Neuroimmunology of the Unit of Cellular and Molecular Neurophysiology of the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology of the University La Sapienza. 2009- Director of the School of Specialization in Sports Medicine and Exercise at Sapienza University. Since 2014- Member of the Scientific Direction of the Pasteur Institute of Rome, Cenci Bolognetti Foundation. 2014-2020 Director of the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology; 2016- Member of the advisory board of the Ministry of Health for the welfare of animals used for scientific purposes; 2017- senior fellow of the Sapienza School of Advanced Studies, Life Sciences class; 2020-2022 Pro-Rector for Sport and Wellness of La Sapienza University; 2020- Director of the Center for Research and Services Preclinical Experimentation and Animal Welfare.

Main research interests: 1) neuroprotective activity of chemokines; 2) role of potassium channels in the modulation of the brain microenvironment in glioma; 3) modulation of myeloid cells in glioma: effect of environmental stimuli; 4) role of microglia and innate immunity in ALS; 5) gut-brain communication; 6) microglia regulation of sleep.