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Deborah Marie Muoio

George Barth Geller Distinguished Professor of Cardiovascular Disease
Medicine, Endocrinology, Metabolism, and Nutrition
Duke Box 104775, Durham, NC 27710
300 North Duke Street, Durham, NC 27701

Overview


Deb Muoio is professor in the Departments of Medicine and Pharmacology & Cancer Biology, George Barth Geller Distinguished Professor of Cardiovascular Disease, and Associate Director of the Duke Molecular Physiology Institute (DMPI). She is viewed nationally and internationally as a leader in the fields of diabetes, obesity, exercise physiology, and mitochondrial energy metabolism. Her laboratory investigates mechanisms of metabolic regulation, with emphasis on molecular events that link lifestyle factors such as over nutrition and physical inactivity to metabolic disorders, including obesity, diabetes, and heart failure. Her program features a translational approach that combines work in animal and cell-based models with human studies, using genetic engineering, molecular biology and mass spectrometry-based metabolomics and proteomics as tools to understand the interplay between mitochondrial physiology and cardiometabolic health. Her laboratory developed a sophisticated platform for deep and comprehensive assessment of mitochondrial bioenergetics and energy transduction. Her team is integrating this new platform with metabolomics, proteomics, and metabolic flux analysis to gain insights into mechanisms by which mitochondria modulate insulin action and metabolic resilience. She has published more than 120 papers in prominent journals such as Cell, Cell Metabolism, Circulation, Circulation Research, Diabetes, and JCI Insight. Dr. Muoio’s laboratory has enjoyed longstanding support from the NIDDK and NHLBI.

Current Appointments & Affiliations


George Barth Geller Distinguished Professor of Cardiovascular Disease · 2021 - Present Medicine, Endocrinology, Metabolism, and Nutrition, Medicine
Professor of Medicine · 2016 - Present Medicine, Endocrinology, Metabolism, and Nutrition, Medicine
Professor in Pharmacology and Cancer Biology · 2016 - Present Pharmacology & Cancer Biology, Basic Science Departments
Member of Sarah W. Stedman Nutrition and Metabolism Center · 2002 - Present Sarah Stedman Nutrition & Metabolism Center, Duke Molecular Physiology Institute
Member of the Duke Cancer Institute · 2013 - Present Duke Cancer Institute, Institutes and Centers

In the News


Published June 28, 2021
Duke Awards 22 Distinguished Professorships
Published July 9, 2015
Supplement allows elderly people to exercise more rigorously
Published January 22, 2015
Commentary: How overeating may contribute to a metabolic ‘traffic jam’

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Recent Publications


Ketogenesis mitigates metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease through mechanisms that extend beyond fat oxidation.

Journal Article J Clin Invest · April 24, 2025 The progression of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) to metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) involves alterations in both liver-autonomous and systemic metabolism that influence the liver's balance of fat a ... Full text Link to item Cite

Effect of in utero metformin exposure in gestational diabetes mellitus on infant mesenchymal stem cell metabolism.

Journal Article Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab · April 1, 2025 Offspring exposed to metformin treatment for gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) experience altered growth patterns that increase the risk for developing cardiometabolic diseases later in life. The adaptive cellular mechanisms underlying these patterns rem ... Full text Link to item Cite

The time is now: accounting for time-of-day effects to improve reproducibility and translation of metabolism research.

Journal Article Nat Metab · March 2025 The constant expansion of the field of metabolic research has led to more nuanced and sophisticated understanding of the complex mechanisms that underlie metabolic functions and diseases. Collaborations with scientists of various fields such as neuroscienc ... Full text Link to item Cite
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Recent Grants


Endocrinology and Metabolism Training Program

Inst. Training Prgm or CMEMentor · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2024 - 2029

The Effect of Exercise on T Cell Aging in Rheumatoid Arthritis

ResearchCo-Mentor · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2024 - 2029

Mechanisms of lipid-induced bioenergetic stress in muscle

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases · 2010 - 2028

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Education, Training & Certifications


University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill · 1999 Ph.D.

External Links


DMPI