Peter Pelka
@peterpelka.bsky.social
Professor at the University of Manitoba who studies virus-host interactions, viral causes of cancer, and oncoproteins. Lover of adenovirus and E1A. Science is my jam, but I have an open mind and diverse interests.
Pleiades caught from my back yard with the Celestron Origin telescope last night. Not bad for light polluted Winnipeg. Note faint nebulosity around Maia and Merope.
February 14, 2026 at 5:24 PM
Pleiades caught from my back yard with the Celestron Origin telescope last night. Not bad for light polluted Winnipeg. Note faint nebulosity around Maia and Merope.
Reposted by Peter Pelka
CIHR funding rate: 13.6%.
Early 2000s: 30%+.
Canada’s new $1.7B Impact+ program recruits talent — but without increased Tri-Council base funding, we risk further strain on an already stretched system.
We’re calling for $1B over 5 years.
Support here: tinyurl.com/33c5av46
Early 2000s: 30%+.
Canada’s new $1.7B Impact+ program recruits talent — but without increased Tri-Council base funding, we risk further strain on an already stretched system.
We’re calling for $1B over 5 years.
Support here: tinyurl.com/33c5av46
February 13, 2026 at 6:55 PM
CIHR funding rate: 13.6%.
Early 2000s: 30%+.
Canada’s new $1.7B Impact+ program recruits talent — but without increased Tri-Council base funding, we risk further strain on an already stretched system.
We’re calling for $1B over 5 years.
Support here: tinyurl.com/33c5av46
Early 2000s: 30%+.
Canada’s new $1.7B Impact+ program recruits talent — but without increased Tri-Council base funding, we risk further strain on an already stretched system.
We’re calling for $1B over 5 years.
Support here: tinyurl.com/33c5av46
Beautiful hoar frost (not "horror" frost as my student thought) this morning in Winnipeg.
February 12, 2026 at 3:41 PM
Beautiful hoar frost (not "horror" frost as my student thought) this morning in Winnipeg.
Very nice study explaining what caused VITT in patients who received adenovirus-based COVID-19 vaccines. Turns out that the viral protein VII has some similarity to Platelet Factor 4 and in very rare cases antibodies against pVII bound strongly to PF4, driving clotting.
www.nejm.org/doi/full/10....
www.nejm.org/doi/full/10....
Adenoviral Inciting Antigen and Somatic Hypermutation in VITT | NEJM
Vaccine-induced immune thrombocytopenia and thrombosis (VITT) is a rare prothrombotic complication that occurs after adenoviral vector–based vaccination against coronavirus disease 2019; in rare ca...
www.nejm.org
February 11, 2026 at 10:47 PM
Very nice study explaining what caused VITT in patients who received adenovirus-based COVID-19 vaccines. Turns out that the viral protein VII has some similarity to Platelet Factor 4 and in very rare cases antibodies against pVII bound strongly to PF4, driving clotting.
www.nejm.org/doi/full/10....
www.nejm.org/doi/full/10....
Welcome to Winnipeg, where it’s so cold that my Nest cameras quit working!
January 22, 2026 at 9:41 PM
Welcome to Winnipeg, where it’s so cold that my Nest cameras quit working!
Reposted by Peter Pelka
Reposted by Peter Pelka
Excited to share my acting debut with Ontario's public broadcaster TVO (@tvodocs.bsky.social @therundowntvo.bsky.social & more). I was in an episode on fever for the TVO Kids series 'Burps, Butts, and Bones' (do they know their audience or what?). I learned about acting from the +++talented Ryan.
Hot to Trot 🥵🤒 | 💀 BURPS, BUTTS AND BONES 🧪 | Answer Questions About The Human Body | TVOkids
YouTube video by TVOkids
youtu.be
November 24, 2025 at 10:07 PM
Excited to share my acting debut with Ontario's public broadcaster TVO (@tvodocs.bsky.social @therundowntvo.bsky.social & more). I was in an episode on fever for the TVO Kids series 'Burps, Butts, and Bones' (do they know their audience or what?). I learned about acting from the +++talented Ryan.
Winnipeg autumn with hoarfrost.
November 11, 2025 at 1:34 AM
Winnipeg autumn with hoarfrost.
Canada has lost its measles elimination status. This is an unfortunate consequence of vaccine resistance/hesitancy and unnecessarily puts vulnerable at risk of a very serious illness. We need to do more to educate the public about how truly safe these vaccines are.
www.cbc.ca/news/health/...
www.cbc.ca/news/health/...
Canada loses its measles elimination status — as it happened | CBC
www.cbc.ca
November 10, 2025 at 5:45 PM
Canada has lost its measles elimination status. This is an unfortunate consequence of vaccine resistance/hesitancy and unnecessarily puts vulnerable at risk of a very serious illness. We need to do more to educate the public about how truly safe these vaccines are.
www.cbc.ca/news/health/...
www.cbc.ca/news/health/...
Our latest article on the role of ARGLU1 in adenovirus infection is now out at the Journal of Virology, #ASM, check it out here and congratulations to the team!
journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...
journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...
ARGLU1 is a negative regulator of the adenoviral replicative cycle | Journal of Virology
This study uncovers a novel antiviral role for ARGLU1, known for its involvement in splicing, transcriptional regulation, and DNA damage repair. Our study demonstrates that ARGLU1 functions as a viral restriction factor by reducing virus growth through the inhibition of viral gene expression and enhanced DNA damage response, leading to reduced viral growth. These findings not only highlight an important role for ARGLU1 in host antiviral mechanisms but also emphasize the utility of adenovirus as a tool to uncover critical cellular pathways.
journals.asm.org
November 4, 2025 at 2:31 PM
Our latest article on the role of ARGLU1 in adenovirus infection is now out at the Journal of Virology, #ASM, check it out here and congratulations to the team!
journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...
journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...
It was fantastic to see everyone's project at our CBRF-funded V3P project retreat last week! Thank you all for coming, presenting, and participating. And thank you to the organizers for making it such an awesome event!
October 27, 2025 at 5:02 PM
It was fantastic to see everyone's project at our CBRF-funded V3P project retreat last week! Thank you all for coming, presenting, and participating. And thank you to the organizers for making it such an awesome event!
Got my COVID and flu shots yesterday in Winnipeg. Could not have been easier, in and out in less than 20 minutes and totally free. Get yourself (and your kids) vaccinated!
October 6, 2025 at 5:17 PM
Got my COVID and flu shots yesterday in Winnipeg. Could not have been easier, in and out in less than 20 minutes and totally free. Get yourself (and your kids) vaccinated!
Reposted by Peter Pelka
What the latest on adult vaccines? Come join me and and exceptional panel at Zoomer media to get the lowdown.
• Recommended Vaccines & How To Get Them
‣ Navigating Provincial Health Systems
‣ The Role Your Pharmacist Can Play
‣ Emerging Science
‣ Fighting Disinformation & Vaccine Fatigue.
Free!
• Recommended Vaccines & How To Get Them
‣ Navigating Provincial Health Systems
‣ The Role Your Pharmacist Can Play
‣ Emerging Science
‣ Fighting Disinformation & Vaccine Fatigue.
Free!
October 3, 2025 at 1:02 PM
What the latest on adult vaccines? Come join me and and exceptional panel at Zoomer media to get the lowdown.
• Recommended Vaccines & How To Get Them
‣ Navigating Provincial Health Systems
‣ The Role Your Pharmacist Can Play
‣ Emerging Science
‣ Fighting Disinformation & Vaccine Fatigue.
Free!
• Recommended Vaccines & How To Get Them
‣ Navigating Provincial Health Systems
‣ The Role Your Pharmacist Can Play
‣ Emerging Science
‣ Fighting Disinformation & Vaccine Fatigue.
Free!
Reposted by Peter Pelka
If you don’t get your child vaccinated against #measles, it can put them at a high risk of this serious infection, which can lead to severe complications or even death.
Make sure your child’s measles vaccination is up to date.
Make sure your child’s measles vaccination is up to date.
June 11, 2025 at 8:31 AM
If you don’t get your child vaccinated against #measles, it can put them at a high risk of this serious infection, which can lead to severe complications or even death.
Make sure your child’s measles vaccination is up to date.
Make sure your child’s measles vaccination is up to date.
Our new paper on the transcriptomics of S-phase induction in adenovirus infected cells is now out in PLOS One with important implications for adenovirus-based vectors:
journals.plos.org/plosone/arti...
journals.plos.org/plosone/arti...
Cellular transcriptomics of arrested normal lung fibroblasts IMR-90 infected with Human Adenovirus 5 E1A mutants
Induction of S-phase is paramount to the replication of most human DNA viruses. Human adenoviruses have evolved sophisticated mechanisms that drive the infected cells into S-phase to ensure that viral...
journals.plos.org
May 27, 2025 at 7:12 PM
Our new paper on the transcriptomics of S-phase induction in adenovirus infected cells is now out in PLOS One with important implications for adenovirus-based vectors:
journals.plos.org/plosone/arti...
journals.plos.org/plosone/arti...
Reposted by Peter Pelka
Reposted by Peter Pelka
Welbanks+2025 try 90 hydrocarbons, finding 5 provide a better fit than DMS or DMDS. Propyne (C3H4) offers the best fit.
Propyne has been seen in Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Titan, so it is plausible for K2-18b.
In other words, DMS and DMDS *vanish* once you include C3H4 in your model.
Propyne has been seen in Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Titan, so it is plausible for K2-18b.
In other words, DMS and DMDS *vanish* once you include C3H4 in your model.
May 1, 2025 at 6:17 PM
Welbanks+2025 try 90 hydrocarbons, finding 5 provide a better fit than DMS or DMDS. Propyne (C3H4) offers the best fit.
Propyne has been seen in Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Titan, so it is plausible for K2-18b.
In other words, DMS and DMDS *vanish* once you include C3H4 in your model.
Propyne has been seen in Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Titan, so it is plausible for K2-18b.
In other words, DMS and DMDS *vanish* once you include C3H4 in your model.
It's not just Texas and US south that's affected by measles, Ontario and north Mexico have big outbreaks also. Very important to get your kids vaccinated with the very safe and very effective MMR/MMRV vaccine!
www.who.int/emergencies/...
www.who.int/emergencies/...
Measles – Region of the Americas
As of 18 April 2025, a total of 2318 measles cases, including three deaths, have been confirmed in six countries in the WHO Region of the Americas, an 11-fold increase compared to the same period in 2...
www.who.int
April 28, 2025 at 7:40 PM
It's not just Texas and US south that's affected by measles, Ontario and north Mexico have big outbreaks also. Very important to get your kids vaccinated with the very safe and very effective MMR/MMRV vaccine!
www.who.int/emergencies/...
www.who.int/emergencies/...
Another galaxy from my imaging session while I learn how to use the awesome Celestron Origin. The Fireworks Galaxy!
April 22, 2025 at 10:21 PM
Another galaxy from my imaging session while I learn how to use the awesome Celestron Origin. The Fireworks Galaxy!
Loving the Celestron Origin. Taken last night. Bode’s Nebulae.
April 21, 2025 at 12:56 AM
Loving the Celestron Origin. Taken last night. Bode’s Nebulae.
Happy Easter to all who celebrate! Here’s the Pinwheel Galaxy (M101) that I imaged last night.
April 20, 2025 at 6:12 PM
Happy Easter to all who celebrate! Here’s the Pinwheel Galaxy (M101) that I imaged last night.
Was in the Winnipeg Free Press today about our vaccine work:
www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews...
www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews...
Sponsored: UM RESEARCH: Delivering Solutions
The Problem When COVID-19 emerged in March 2020, Canada’s health care system was confronted with a unique challenge. As emergency rooms swelled with patients, there was intense pressure to come up wit...
www.winnipegfreepress.com
April 13, 2025 at 3:16 AM
Was in the Winnipeg Free Press today about our vaccine work:
www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews...
www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews...
Reposted by Peter Pelka
Not quitting my day job but here’s an example of the cool gear now available to support the Terry Fox Foundation, Research Institute and the Canadian cancer researchers working to overcome cancer. This and much more at: shop.terryfox.org Finish It!
April 12, 2025 at 6:43 PM
Not quitting my day job but here’s an example of the cool gear now available to support the Terry Fox Foundation, Research Institute and the Canadian cancer researchers working to overcome cancer. This and much more at: shop.terryfox.org Finish It!
First light with my new Celestron Origin, of course it had to be the majestic Orion Nebula! This is the unprocessed image from the Origin app.
April 8, 2025 at 3:17 PM
First light with my new Celestron Origin, of course it had to be the majestic Orion Nebula! This is the unprocessed image from the Origin app.
A bit nippy today. Stay warm!
January 20, 2025 at 2:54 PM
A bit nippy today. Stay warm!