Sonya Marshall-Gradisnik

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 the disease.

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

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

Biomarker Patent
In 2015, 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

 * 2016, Regulatory T, natural killer T and γδ T cells in multiple sclerosis and chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis: a comparison.
 * 2016, Novel characterisation of mast cell phenotypes from peripheral blood mononuclear cells in chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis patients
 * 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
 * 2015, Cytokines in the Cerebrospinal Fluids of Patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis
 * 2015, Characterisation of cell functions and receptors in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME)"'Conclusions: This study was the first to show significant differences in a number of receptors in NK, CD4+T and CD8+T cells in CFS/ME [5, 7] suggesting dysregulation in NK cell cytotoxic activity, receptor regulation and potentially cell adherence. Consistent with previous literature, our research suggests that CFS/ME patients have immunological dysregulation in the innate and adaptive immune cells. We have also highlighted significant differences in NK, CD4+T and CD8+T cells between moderate and severe CFS/ME patients, suggesting severity subgroups may have distinct immune perturbations and consequently aetiology. Further studies examining severity subgroups of CFS/ME patients may therefore contribute to the understanding of the pathomechanism associated with the illness.'"
 * 2013, The role of clinical guidelines for chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis in research settings. Abstract

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
NCNED is located at Griffith University on the Gold Coast, in 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"