Whistleblower alleges major flaws in University of Sunshine Coast research
Researchers who claim to have found a deadly chlamydia vaccine for koalas have made a surprising mistake that completely invalidates their findings, a vaccine expert has said.
The vaccine, produced by microbiologist Professor Peter Timms from the University of the Sunshine Coast, was described as historic by federal environment minister Murray Watt last year. and is widely celebrated as a cure for one of the greatest threats to endangered species.
But the claims have long rang false to University of Queensland molecular virologist Professor Keith Chappell, who played a key role in establishing the Molecular Clamp vaccine technology to fight COVID-19.
“I saw Professor Timms speak in 2023 and that set off some alarms for me right off the bat because the claims he was making were not borne out by the data,” Chappell said.
His Fears were first published by Chappell. Australian He said Saturday that Timms initially refused to share the data with him.
Chappell said he almost couldn’t believe what he was looking at when he picked up the device.
“It seems really stupid to say it out loud, but they’re vaccinating koalas at 10 or 11 years old and saying the vaccine is responsible for getting them to that age rather than the vaccine protecting them from then on,” he said.
“I had to look at the data multiple times and show it to multiple people to convince myself that it was that simple and that crazy a mistake.”
The University of the Sunshine Coast received $749,000 from the federal government and $100,000 from the Queensland government for the research.
A USC spokesperson said they stand behind Timm’s work.
“This study, conducted over more than a decade, reflects deep expertise, sound management and a clear commitment to evidence-based research. Professor Timms is widely recognized nationally and internationally as a leading authority on chlamydial disease,” they said.
The spokesman also denied reporting Australian It was stated that vaccine production was stopped by the manufacturer.
“Vaccine distribution has not been suspended, but is not currently being used as our manufacturing partner is in the process of producing a high-quality APVMA.” [Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority] “The approved standard batch of the vaccine,” they said, adding that if the vaccine passes the tests, it will be tested on healthy koalas.
“We know that chlamydia affects the fertility of wild koala populations and poses a threat to their survival, which is why the Albanian government is supporting this project,” Watt said when the vaccine was registered with the APVMA last year.
“We knew that the answer to reducing the rapid and devastating spread of this disease, which accounts for half of koala deaths in wild populations in Australia, was a single-dose vaccine that does not need a booster,” Timms said.
But after his research, Chappell said the chances of this vaccine, marketed as Klavax by Sydney manufacturer Treidlia Biovet, working, were depressingly low.
“We don’t know if it works, and that means more research needs to be done, and it needs to be done the right way,” he said.
“They published a peer-reviewed, placebo-controlled study. [in that] The particular trial showed no effect. “So this vaccine doesn’t really look very good, it doesn’t look promising at all.”
In a statement released Friday, a university spokesperson said Timms’ study, published in the journal NPJ Vaccines, was peer-reviewed but acknowledged there were “minor errors.”
After the data points were removed, the spokesperson said the study still showed “a significant difference in reducing the development of disease between vaccinated and unvaccinated koalas”.
“While it still shows a trend indicating that the vaccine protects from death, this is no longer statistically significant due to the reduced sample size,” they said.
Chappell said millions of dollars had been spent to end chlamydia and the survival of koalas in the wild was multifaceted.
“What I think we need to do is protect our natural habitat. It’s a complex issue, there’s drought, there’s bushfires, there’s habitat degradation; we really need to address the underlying conditions that impact the environment and give koalas the best chance of survival,” he said.
Timms has been contacted for comment.
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