National Centre for Neuroimmunology and Emerging Diseases

Griffith University and the Gold Coast Hospital and Health Service (GCHHS) have established the National Centre for Neuroimmunology and Emerging Diseases on the Gold Coast. The centre will have an emphasis on researchers working with clinicians and patients to produce effective research outcomes.

Dedicated to research on the interaction between the nervous system and the immune system, the new centre will be led by one of Australia’s foremost authorities on chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) and the related myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME), Professor Sonya Marshall-Gradisnik. Marshall-Gradisnik said the centre will give priority to researching this debilitating condition.

Chronic fatigue syndrome affects around 250,000 Australians. This debilitating condition is characterised by fatigue and other symptoms such as muscle and joint pain, sore throat and headaches. The fatigue people suffer is persistent and lasts for at least six months.

In a two-year study of over 300 people with the disability, Marshall-Gradisnik, from Griffith’s School of Medicine, found a strong association between the condition and a dysfunctional immune system.

Described by Griffith University’s Pro-Vice Chancellor (Health) Professor Allan Cripps as a “milestone in an evolving university-health services partnership”, the development of the research centre “brings to fruition years of research effort culminating in extensive research, academic publications and provides significant insights as to the potential pathology in this disorder”.