Sandra McLachlan, PhD

Co-Director, Thyroid Autoimmunity Laboratory
Email:sandra.mclachlan@cshs.org
Phone:(310) 423-7680
Fax:(310) 423-0221

Academic Appointments

Professor, Medicine

Awards and Activities

Stanbury Thyroid Pathophysiology Medal; American Thyroid Association2012
Sydney Ingbar Lecture and Award, American Thyroid Association2004
Director, American Thyroid Association2003
Editorial Board: ThyroidCurrent
Editorial Board: J Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism1991 - 1995
American Thyroid Association1985
Endocrine Society1991

Research Focus

Molecular and cellular investigation of immune responses to thyroid peroxidase and thyroglobulin (Hashimoto thyroiditis) and the thyroid stimulating hormone receptor (TSHR; Graves disease); cloning human autoantibodies to thyroid peroxidase and thyroglobulin (for antibody epitopic analysis); murine model of Graves disease (self tolerance and genetic susceptiblity).

Research Contributions

a) Established the contribution of thyroid-infiltrating vs circulating lymphocytes to thyroid autoantibodies in humans; b) Cloned the repertoire of human thyroid peroxidase auto-antibodies and characterized the immunodominant region; c) Established the most efficient approach for murine Graves' disease; performed the first whole genome scan in this model.

Current investigations include:

a) Mouse model of induced Graves disease - tolerance to transgenic human TSHR; genetic susceptibility to induced disease; b) Cellular interactions in T and B lymphocyte responses to the TSHR; c) Structure-function studies of the TSHR.

Selected Publications

  1. McLachlan SM, Rapoport B: Thyrotropin blocking autoantibodies and thyroid stimulating autoantibodies: insight into the pendulum from hypothyroidism to hyperthyroidism or vice versa. Thyroid, , 2012
  2. McLachlan SM, Aliesky HA, Chen CR, Chong G, Rapoport B: Breaking tolerance in transgenic mice expressing the human TSH receptor A-subunit: thyroiditis, epitope spreading and adjuvant as a 'double edged sword'. PLoS ONE, 7(9): e43517, 2012
  3. Chen CR, Hamidi S, Braley-Mullen H, Nagayama Y, Bresee C, Aliesky HA, Rapoport B, McLachlan SM: Antibodies to thyroid peroxidase arise spontaneously with age in NOD.H-2h4 mice and appear after thyroglobulin antibodies. Endocrinology, 151(9): 4583-93, 2010
  4. McLachlan SM, Aliesky HA, Pichurin PN, Chen CR, Williams RW, Rapoport B: Shared and unique susceptibility genes in a mouse model of Graves' disease determined in BXH and CXB recombinant inbred mice. Endocrinology, 149(4): 2001-9, 2007
  5. McLachlan SM, Nagayama Y, Pichurin PN, Mizutori Y, Chen CR, Misharin A, Aliesky HA, Rapoport B: The link between Graves' disease and Hashimoto's thyroiditis: a role for regulatory T cells. Endocrinology, 148(12): 5724-33, 2007
  6. Pichurin PN, Chen CR, Chazenbalk GD, Aliesky H, Pham N, Rapoport B, McLachlan SM: Targeted expression of the human thyrotropin receptor A-subunit to the mouse thyroid: insight into overcoming the lack of response to A-subunit adenovirus immunization. J. Immunol., 176(1): 668-76, 2006
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