Sonya Marshall-Gradisnik

Source: InvestinME

Sonya M. Marshall-Gradisnik, BSc (Hons), PhD, is co-director (alongside Professor Donald Staines) of the National Centre for Neuroimmunology and Emerging Diseases (NCNED) at Griffith University in Australia. Her expertise is in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis with particular focus on Natural Killer Cell function and signalling pathways, T regulatory and B cell phenotypes and cytokine production, and transcriptional profiling and gene expression. In her studies, she compares the changes of the different cells of the immune system in relation to the severity of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis.

International Consensus Criteria

She is one of the authors of the 2011 case definition, International Consensus Criteria.

International Association for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis

Marshall-Gradisnik is on the Board of Directors of the International Association for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (IACFS/ME).

Biomarker Patent

In 2016, Griffith University filed for a patent for a biological marker (Patent Publication number WO2016023077 A1) for the diagnosis and management of ME and CFS. Sonya Marshall-Gradisnik and Ekua Brenu are listed as the inventors. The application states: "The present invention resides broadly in the use of at least one miRNA as a biological marker for identifying or diagnosing a subject having CFS and/or ME."

Notable studies

• 2018, Brain function characteristics of chronic fatigue syndrome: A task fMRI study (Full Text)
• 2018, A Systematic Review of Probiotic Interventions for Gastrointestinal Symptoms and Irritable Bowel Syndrome in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME). (Abstract)
• 2018, Rituximab impedes natural killer cell function in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis patients: A pilot in vitro investigation (Full Text)
• 2017, Impaired calcium mobilization in natural killer cells from chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis patients is associated with transient receptor potential melastatin 3 ion channels (Full Text)
• 2017, Novel characterisation of mast cell phenotypes from peripheral blood mononuclear cells in chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis patients (Full Text)
• 2016, A Systematic Review of Drug Therapies for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (Abstract)
• 2016, Progressive brain changes in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome: A longitudinal MRI study (Full Text)
• 2016, Regulatory T, natural killer T and γδ T cells in multiple sclerosis and chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis: a comparison. (Full Text)
• 2016, Killer Cell Immunoglobulin-like Receptor Genotype and Haplotype Investigation of Natural Killer Cells from an Australian Population of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis Patients (Full Text)
• 2016, ERK1/2, MEK1/2 and p38 downstream signalling molecules impaired in CD56dimCD16+ and CD56brightCD16dim/− natural killer cells in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis patients (Full Text)
• 2016, Natural killer cells and single nucleotide polymorphisms of specific ion channels and receptor genes in myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (Full Text)
• 2015, A Comparison of Cytokine Profiles of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis and Multiple Sclerosis Patients (Full Text)
• 2015, Cytokines in the Cerebrospinal Fluids of Patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (Full Text)
• 2015, Serum Immune Proteins in Moderate and Severe Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis Patients (Full Text)
• 2015, Longitudinal analysis of immune abnormalities in varying severities of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis patients (Full Text)
• 2015, Characterisation of cell functions and receptors in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME) (Full Text)
• 2015, Examination of Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) in Transient Receptor Potential (TRP) Ion Channels in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Patients (Full Text)
• 2014, Characterization of Natural Killer Cell Phenotypes in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (Full Text)
• 2014, The Role of Adaptive and Innate Immune Cells in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (Full Text)
• 2014, Analysis of the Relationship between Immune Dysfunction and Symptom Severity in Patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME) (Full Text)
• 2013, The role of clinical guidelines for chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis in research settings (Abstract)
• 2012, The Effects of Influenza Vaccination on Immune Function in Patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (Full Text)
• 2011, Immunological abnormalities as potential biomarkers in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (Full Text)

Open Letter to The Lancet

Two open letters to the editor of The Lancet urged the editor to commission a fully independent review of the PACE trial, which the journal had published in 2011. In 2016, Dr. Marshall-Gradisnik, along with 41 colleagues in the ME/CFS field, signed the second letter.

• 10 February 2016, An open letter to The Lancet, again - Virology blog

Clinic location

National Centre for Neuroimmunology and Emerging Diseases (NCNED) is located at Griffith University on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia.

Talks & interviews

• 2016, Australian scientists make breakthrough in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome testing
• 2015, Speaker at the 10th Invest in ME International ME Conference DVD available(no speech title given)]
• 2014, "Professor Sonya Marshall-Gradisnik, Australia's foremost expert on chronic fatigue syndrome" interviewed on ABC Gold Coast
• 2014, Speaker at the 9th Invest in ME International ME Conference DVD available(no speech title given)]
• 2012, Speaker at the 7th Invest in ME International ME Conference DVD available(no speech title given)]
• 2012, Keynote address by Prof Sonya Marshall-Gradisnik at Emerge Australia (formerly ME/CFS Australia (Victoria)) Awareness Week

Online presence

• PubMed - Sonya Marshall-Gradisnik
• Griffith University - Sonya Marshall-Gradisnik
• National Centre for Neuroimmunology and Emerging Diseases

Learn more

• 2016, News Article - "Closer to a Full Understanding of chronic fatigue syndrome"
• 2014, "Gold Coast’s Griffith University to lead way in the battle against chronic fatigue"

See also

• Donald Staines
• National Centre for Neuroimmunology and Emerging Diseases
• Diagnostic biomarker
• Ekua Brenu

myalgic encephalomyelitis (M.E.) - A disease often marked by neurological symptoms, but fatigue is sometimes a symptom as well. Some diagnostic criteria distinguish it from chronic fatigue syndrome, while other diagnostic criteria consider it to be a synonym for chronic fatigue syndrome. A defining characteristic of ME is post-exertional malaise (PEM), or post-exertional neuroimmune exhaustion (PENE), which is a notable exacerbation of symptoms brought on by small exertions. PEM can last for days or weeks. Symptoms can include cognitive impairments, muscle pain (myalgia), trouble remaining upright (orthostatic intolerance), sleep abnormalities, and gastro-intestinal impairments, among others. An estimated 25% of those suffering from ME are housebound or bedbound. The World Health Organization (WHO) classifies ME as a neurological disease.

T cell A type of white blood cell which is mostly produced or matured in the thymus gland (hence T-cell) and is involved in the adaptive immune response on a cellular level. Also known as a T lymphocyte. (Learn more: www.youtube.com)

antibodies Antibody/immunoglobulin refers to any of a large number of specific proteins produced by B cells that act against an antigen in an immune response.

single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) - A single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP, pronounced "snip") is a potential genetic mutation that occurs in a single spot in the human genome; a difference in a single DNA building block. SNPs are often represented by an "rs" number, such as "rs53576".

serum The clear yellowish fluid that remains from blood plasma after clotting factors have been removed by clot formation. (Blood plasma is simply blood that has had its blood cells removed.)

single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) - A single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP, pronounced "snip") is a potential genetic mutation that occurs in a single spot in the human genome; a difference in a single DNA building block. SNPs are often represented by an "rs" number, such as "rs53576".

myalgic encephalomyelitis (M.E.) - A disease often marked by neurological symptoms, but fatigue is sometimes a symptom as well. Some diagnostic criteria distinguish it from chronic fatigue syndrome, while other diagnostic criteria consider it to be a synonym for chronic fatigue syndrome. A defining characteristic of ME is post-exertional malaise (PEM), or post-exertional neuroimmune exhaustion (PENE), which is a notable exacerbation of symptoms brought on by small exertions. PEM can last for days or weeks. Symptoms can include cognitive impairments, muscle pain (myalgia), trouble remaining upright (orthostatic intolerance), sleep abnormalities, and gastro-intestinal impairments, among others. An estimated 25% of those suffering from ME are housebound or bedbound. The World Health Organization (WHO) classifies ME as a neurological disease.

cytokine any class of immunoregulatory proteins secreted by cells, especially immune cells. Cytokines are small proteins important in cell signaling that modulate the immune system. (Learn more: me-pedia.org)

cytokine any class of immunoregulatory proteins secreted by cells, especially immune cells. Cytokines are small proteins important in cell signaling that modulate the immune system. (Learn more: me-pedia.org)