Menzies Health Institute Queensland – Griffith University

Established in 2015, the Menzies Health Institute Queensland (MHIQ) is a globally renowned partnership between Griffith University and the prestigious Menzies Foundation. Headquartered on the Gold Coast, the Institute boasts state-of-the-art laboratories, and research and clinical facilities across five Griffith campuses from Brisbane to Gold Coast.

The Task:

Wings Public Relations was appointed to support Griffith University’s National Centre for Neuroimmunology and Emerging Diseases Director, Professor Sonya Marshall-Gradisnik, in highlighting the outstanding work being undertaken by her expert team related to Long COVID and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (known internationally as Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME/CFS)). Professor Marshall-Gradisnik and her fellow Griffith University researchers are hoping to find a treatment for Long COVID after proving the illness shares the same biological impairment as patients with ME/CFS. Wings Public Relations has been responsible for achieving more than 600 stories across Australia and overseas, undertaking strategic planning and tactical implementation to promote the world-first findings.

11/08/2022

Local Discovery

9News Queensland

Queensland researchers have made a world-first breakthrough, discovering one of the causes of long COVID. They're now searching for the most effective treatment to help hundreds of thousands of sufferers around the country.

11/08/2022

Major breakthrough to treat long COVID

Channel 7 News

Queensland researchers have made a major breakthrough in their analysis of patients with long COVID. They've discovered the symptoms are strikingly similar to chronic fatigue syndrome, and there could be treatments already on the market.

11/08/2022

Covid Connection

10 News First

A link between the debilitating illness and chronic fatigue. It could open the door for new treatments as well as a specific tests for fatigue, brain fog, mental illness and fever. They're just some of the debilitating symptoms Kathy lives with. "I'm very tired now I've had very little energy and it just I can't do anything." A nasty case of COVID four months ago triggered her chronic fatigue.

11/08/2022

Long Covid Breakthrough

Seven Morning News

A test and treatment for long COVID could soon be available after Queensland researchers discovered it has similar symptoms to chronic fatigue syndrome. They're currently developing a blood test to identify long COVID that could return results in hours.

11/08/2022

Queensland researchers find overlap in pathology of long COVID and chronic fatigue syndrome

ABC Gold Coast

Researchers say they have found a link in the pathology between long COVID and myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). The work is being carried out by professor Sonya Marshall-Gradisnik and the team at Griffith University's National Centre for Neuroimmunology and Emerging Diseases (NCNED). "It is the first of its kind in the world to actually biologically identify the overlap in the dysfunction with long COVID and ME/CFS patients," she said. Dr Marshall-Gradisnik said damaged receptors, like a dysfunctional lock and key, do not allow enough calcium in. "The receptors are located on every cell in the body," she said.

11/08/2022

Queensland scientists make long COVID research breakthrough

The Age

Queensland researchers have made a breakthrough in their research of long COVID-19, discovering new links to chronic fatigue syndrome.

11/08/2022

Game-changing new test and treatment for long Covid

The Weekly Times

Australian scientists are a step closer to a test and treatment for long Covid, after determining it causes the same biological impairments as chronic fatigue syndrome. The ground breaking findings, by Griffith University researchers, could significantly help the 500,000 Australians estimated to be battling the condition. Long Covid is a collection of symptoms including extreme fatigue (tiredness), shortness of breath, heart palpitations, chest pain or tightness that continue more than 12 weeks after a Covid infection, and can be severe enough to prevent a person working or living normal life.

11/08/2022

LONG COVID Researchers pinpoint an overlap with chronic fatigue

ABC News

Severe exhaustion, breathlessness, brain fog, all symptoms Kath medallist has dealt with since her chronic fatigue diagnosis 20 years ago. At times she's been unable to work, study or even move to the point I couldn't walk. I was in bed. I really couldn't do anything at all. She's seen some improvements in her health, but catching COVID in April was another major setback and a case of deja vu.

11/08/2022

Drive with Paul Turton

ABC News

Professor Sonya Marshall-Gradisnik is the expert that we're about to talk to. She works in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome at Griffith University and joins us now. Thank you for doing that, by the way. Sonia, good afternoon.

11/08/2022

Afternoons

ABC Radio

The Gold Coast is the focus of our update at the moment now Louisa, because researchers reckon they've found a link in the pathology of Long-covid and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. This was a study undertaken at Griffith University's National Centre for Neuro Immunology and Emerging Diseases that rolls off the tongue. It's the first of its kind in the world. Louisa Yes, and of course, you know, long COVID Not much is known really about Long-covid. It's relatively new and it affects quite a lot of people. So this is a really big story to come out of the Gold Coast.

11/08/2022

Long Covid Breakthrough

9News

There's been a major breakthrough in long COVID research right here on the coast. Griffith University researchers say they're now much closer, Bruce, to finding treatment options for the estimated 475,000 Australians suffering from the illness. Today, announcing a world first discovery they've been working on for the past two years

11/08/2022

Research ‘breakthrough’ links long COVID and chronic fatigue

4BC

Queensland scientists have discovered a link between long COVID and chronic fatigue syndrome. Griffith University researchers have discovered receptors that are dysfunctional in patients suffering chronic fatigue are also the same in those with long COVID. Professor Sonya Marshall-Gradisnik told Sofie Formica the link could help fast-track the treatment for long COVID. “The test we have here is a laboratory-developed test; it’s taken some years and it’s validated,” she said. “That test now has been translated to test long COVID patients.”

11/08/2022

Major Breakthrough

7 News

Scientists at Griffith University have made a major breakthrough in their research into long COVID. They've found the illness shares strong similarities to chronic fatigue syndrome which could help find a treatment. Long COVID impacts around half a million people across the country. Until now, medical researchers didn't understand why some patients experienced lasting symptoms

11/08/2022

Chronic Fatigue Linked

ABC News

Long COVID symptoms have often been linked to those of chronic fatigue syndrome, but for the first time researchers in Queensland have identified an overlap in the illnesses. The scientists say it's a huge step towards widely available testing and treatment Severe exhaustion, breathlessness, brain fog, all symptoms Kath Dallas has dealt with since her chronic fatigue diagnosis 20 years ago.

11/08/2022

Fatigue Hope

7 News

yoga instructor, smart, fit and overachiever before being diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. She had been feeling much better then caught COVID. And that basically has taken me right back to where I was three years ago. Fatigue, brain fog, memory loss. But this time doctors diagnosed long COVID. It feels the same. It's the same type of symptoms. That's what prompted research at Griffith University, where scientists discovered a breakthrough.

11/08/2022

Covid Hope

9 News

Australian researchers have made a world first breakthrough, discovering one of the causes of long COVID. They're now searching for the most effective treatment to help hundreds of thousands of sufferers around the country. This team of researchers on the Gold Coast spent years researching chronic fatigue syndrome, unaware their decade of investigations would one day help solve one of the biggest medical mysteries to emerge in the pandemic.

11/08/2022

New breakthrough could lead to treatment of long COVID-19

9 News

Queensland researchers have made a breakthrough in their research of long COVID-19, discovering new links to chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) that could lead to new treatments. Scientists from Griffith University on the Gold Coast, who have spent years studying CFS, have found similar biological impairments between the illness and the severe after-effects of COVID-19.

11/08/2022

Landmark Long Covid Story

Sunrise

Aussie scientists are a step closer to solving the mystery of long COVID, finding a possible link to chronic fatigue syndrome. Let's go to seven news. Reporter Jordan Bissell, who's in Brisbane. Jordan, a treatment could be on the horizon Good morning. Yeah, well, this groundbreaking treatment could impact the lives of more than half a million Aussies who are expected to be battling COVID symptoms more than 12 weeks after first contracting the virus.

11/08/2022

Afternoons

4BC

Firstly, can you tell us the connection that you have found between CFS and COVID and what that means in terms of a breakthrough of understanding how long COVID is affecting some people and not all Okay, so what we've reported in the world first finding today is we've identified the underlying pathology of long COVID and how it overlaps with chronic fatigue syndrome or CFS, as you called it Now, so that mean yeah, I was going to say, because people will know what chronic fatigue syndrome is and have an idea of how it affects people.

11/08/2022

Covid Connection

10 News First

Scientists believe they've made a significant medical discovery, finding a link between long COVID and chronic fatigue. It could open the door for new treatments as well as a specific test. Fatigue, brain fog, mental illness and fever. They're just some of the debilitating symptoms Kathy lives with.

11/08/2022

Research Breakthrough

ABC

Long COVID symptoms have often been likened to those of chronic fatigue. Now for the first time, researchers have biologically identified where they overlap. The World First research is being published by Australian scientists who say it's a huge step towards widely available testing and treatment.

11/08/2022

Covid Connection

10 News First

Queensland scientists believe they've cracked a major medical milestone, finding a link between the debilitating illness and chronic fatigue brain fog, mental illness and fever. They're just some of the debilitating symptoms Kathy lives with. I'm very tired now. I've had very little energy and it just I can't do anything. A nasty case of COVID four months ago triggered her chronic fatigue.

11/08/2022

World First Research

ABC News

Long COVID symptoms have often been likened to those of chronic fatigue, but for the first time, researchers have biologically identified an overlap in the illnesses. The World First research is being published by Queensland scientists who say it's a huge step towards widely available testing and treatment. Severe exhaustion, breathlessness, brain fog, all symptoms. Kathy de List has dealt with since her chronic fatigue diagnosis 20 years ago.

11/08/2022

Queensland researchers find overlap in pathology of long-term COVID and chronic fatigue syndrome

ExBulletin

Researchers say they’ve found a pathological link between long-term COVID and myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). This work is being led by Professor Sonya Marshall-Gradisnik and a team at Griffith University’s National Center for Neuroimmunity and Emerging Diseases (NCNED). “It is the first of its kind in the world to actually biologically identify a functional overlap between long-term COVID and ME/CFS patients,” she said. Marshall-Gradisnik, Dr. Marshall-Gradisnik, says that when receptors are damaged, like a malfunctioning lock or key, Don’t put in enough calcium.

11/08/2022

The Drive, Sydney

ABC News

Researchers say they found a link in the pathology between Long-covid and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. The group at the university, researchers say their discoveries could help to treat those suffering from long COVID symptoms, of which include brain fog, muscle fatigue and in some cases, more dangerous consequences like organ failure.