Sandra Sacre

Professor Sandra Sacre is a Professor of Innate Immunity at Brighton and Sussex Medical School (BSMS), where she also serves as Director of Doctoral Studies. Her research focuses on understanding the innate immune system in health and disease, with particular expertise in toll-like receptors and the NLRP3 inflammasome.

Professor Sacre completed her BSc in Physiology and PhD in Cardiovascular Disease at University College London. Following postdoctoral work at the Royal Free Hospital in London and the Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology at Imperial College London, she joined BSMS in 2009. She also holds a Postgraduate Certificate from the University of Sussex (2010-2012).

Her research investigates how innate immune receptors contribute to inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus, as well as neuroinflammation in Alzheimer's Disease. Much of her work is performed using primary human monocytes and macrophages, providing clinically relevant insights into disease mechanisms. Professor Sacre's research has revealed important findings about SARM1 as a regulator of the NLRP3 inflammasome in rheumatoid arthritis and how toll-like receptors contribute to cytokine production in autoimmune conditions.

Professor Sacre's publication record demonstrates consistent contributions to immunology and rheumatology, with recent work focusing on NLRP3 inflammasome activation pathways, TLR signaling in autoimmune diseases, and connections between innate immunity and neurological conditions. Her research shows an evolution from basic receptor signaling mechanisms to increasingly clinically relevant applications in specific disease contexts.

• British Society of Rheumatology 'Garrod Prize' (2014) for contribution to rheumatology

As Director of Doctoral Studies, Professor Sacre oversees PhD training at BSMS while personally supervising doctoral students. Her research has been supported by multiple funding bodies including LUPUS UK, Medical Research Council, Alzheimer's Society, and the European Union. She has successfully mentored numerous researchers who have gone on to establish independent careers in immunology and related fields.

Professor Sacre maintains active collaborations with researchers at the University of Sussex, University of Surrey, University of Southampton, and University of Oulu in Finland, demonstrating her international research network and interdisciplinary approach to studying innate immunity.