Scholars@Duke
Geoffrey Stuart Pitt

Geoffrey Stuart Pitt

Adjunct Professor in the Department of Medicine
Medicine, Cardiology
geoffrey.pitt@duke.edu
Duke Box 103030, Durham, NC 27710
413 E. 69th Street, BB502, New York, NY 10021

Overview

Our research focuses on how intracellular Ca2+, the ultimate signal of membrane excitability, regulates membrane excitability and the consequent function of excitable cells. We have discovered and described multiple mechanisms that control Ca2+ influx through voltage-gated Ca2+ channels and feedback mechanisms by which internal calcium regulates other channels that influence Ca2+ channel function. The work has entailed structure-function analyses of ion channels and their regulatory subunits and studies of mutations that lead to inherited channelopathies such as cardiac arrhythmias and epilepsy.

Current Appointments & Affiliations

Adjunct Professor in the Department of Medicine · 2016 - Present Medicine, Cardiology, Medicine
Faculty Network Member of the Duke Institute for Brain Sciences · 2011 - Present Duke Institute for Brain Sciences, University Institutes and Centers

Recent Publications

Ceramide-induced FGF13 impairs systemic metabolic health.

Journal Article Cell Metab · May 6, 2025 Ceramide accumulation impairs adipocytes' ability to efficiently store and utilize nutrients, leading to energy and glucose homeostasis deterioration. Using a comparative transcriptomic screen, we identified the non-canonical, non-secreted fibroblast growt ... Full text Link to item Cite

Sudden unexpected death in epilepsy: respiratory vs. cardiac contributions.

Journal Article Cardiovasc Res · April 8, 2025 Sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) poses a significant risk to life expectancy for individuals with epilepsy. Mechanistic insight, while incomplete, has advanced through clinical observational studies and animal models. Yet we lack preventative th ... Full text Link to item Cite

Interneuron FGF13 regulates seizure susceptibility via a sodium channel-independent mechanism.

Journal Article Elife · January 8, 2025 Developmental and epileptic encephalopathies (DEEs), a class of devastating neurological disorders characterized by recurrent seizures and exacerbated by disruptions to excitatory/inhibitory balance in the brain, are commonly caused by mutations in ion cha ... Full text Link to item Cite
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Recent Grants

Basic predoctoral training in neuroscience

Inst. Training Prgm or CMETraining Faculty · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 1992 - 2018

Fibroblast Growth Factor Homologous Factor Modulation and Effect on Cardiac Ion Channel Trafficking

FellowshipPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2016 - 2018

Identifying the mechanosensitive domains of the Piezo1 ion channel by application of localized force

FellowshipCo-Sponsor · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2015 - 2017

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Education, Training & Certifications

Johns Hopkins University · 1993 M.D.

External Links

Pitt lab website