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

FGF13 is not secreted from mouse neurons.

Journal Article JCI Insight · January 9, 2026 FGF13, a noncanonical fibroblast growth factor (FGF) and member of the fibroblast growth factor homologous factor (FHF) subset, lacks a signal sequence and was previously reported to remain intracellular, where it regulates voltage-gated sodium channels (V ... Full text Link to item Cite

FGF13 Regulates VGSC-Independent Cardiomyocyte Impulse Propagation via Cx43 Trafficking.

Journal Article Circ Res · December 5, 2025 BACKGROUND: FHF (fibroblast growth factor homologous factor) variants associate with arrhythmias. Although FHFs are best characterized as regulators of voltage-gated sodium channel (VGSC) gating, recent studies suggest broader, non-VGSC-related functions, ... Full text Link to item Cite

The NaV1.5 auxiliary subunit FGF13 modulates channels by regulating membrane cholesterol independent of channel binding.

Journal Article J Clin Invest · October 15, 2025 Fibroblast growth factor homologous factors (FHFs) bind to the cytoplasmic C-terminus of voltage-gated sodium channels (VGSCs) and modulate channel function. Variants in FHFs or VGSCs perturbing that bimolecular interaction are associated with arrhythmias. ... 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