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  1. Science & Research (NCTR)

Dustyn A. Barnette Ph.D.

Staff Fellow — Division of Systems Biology/OMICS Branch

Headshot of Dr. Dustyn Barnette

Dustyn A. Barnette, Ph.D.
(870) 543-7121
NCTRResearch@fda.hhs.gov  

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About  |  Publications  |  Lab Members

Background

Dr. Barnette graduated from Ouachita Baptist University, where he majored in biology with minors in chemistry and art. During undergraduate studies, he participated in the National Center for Toxicological Research’s (NCTR) Summer Student Research Program over two summers. Under the direction of principal investigators in the division of microbiology, he worked with Staphylococcus aureus and Salmonella to study gene and growth patterns related to virulence and antimicrobial resistance. After receiving a Bachelor of Science degree in biology, Dr. Barnette worked as a research technician for two years in the field of immunology where he studied trichloroethylene-induced autoimmunity. Dr. Barnette attended graduate school at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS). His five years of dissertation work focused on kinetics and enzymology approaches to studying reactive metabolite formation from marketed drugs in in vitro enzyme systems to investigate possible links to clinically observed uncommon adverse drug reactions. Dr. Barnette presented this work at the UAMS Student Research Day, where it won him first place for the Bhuvan Award for Excellent Use of Biochemistry in Research in 2020.

Dr. Barnette received a Ph.D. in biochemistry and molecular biology and a Graduate Certificate in Regulatory Sciences in 2020. After graduation, he accepted a postdoctoral fellowship at the National Center for Toxicological Research in the Division of Systems Biology. His postdoctoral research focused on 1) in vitro investigations of tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI)-linked mitochondrial toxicities in cardiomyocytes and 2) various analyses of lipid and small molecule drug distributions in tissue samples using matrix assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI) imaging mass spectrometry (IMS). In 2022, Dr. Barnette became a staff fellow in the Division of Systems Biology where he is currently using MALDI IMS to study questions of drug distribution in tissue in relation to pathological effects.

 

Research Interests

Dr. Barnette’s research interests focus on explaining underlying mechanisms of uncommon adverse drug reactions, with a primary focus on drug metabolism. Overall, his goal is to improve the safety of approved drugs by increasing knowledge of toxic mechanisms and pathways through the strategic integration of in vivo, in vitro, and in silico tools for assessing and predicting toxicity in drugs. His previous training and collaborative work with groups specializing in computational modeling help inform his current work in which he uses MALDI IMS to visualize and identify trends in spatial distributions of drugs and drug metabolites. Dr. Barnette uses imaging software tools to overlay data with pathology-stained serial tissue sections to assess how distribution trends of drugs and their metabolites from MALDI IMS correlate with observed pathology in tissues. Overall, these studies provide leads for identifying the molecular pathways that may contribute to drug- or disease-related adverse effects as well as inform follow-up studies for determining statistical significance using traditional mass spectrometry approaches. His interdisciplinary experience grants him a unique perspective and skill set for leveraging untapped heterogeneous data to pursue higher quality answers to investigative questions.

 

Professional Societies/National and International Groups

Society of Toxicology
Member
2019

 

Selected Publications

Discovery of Novel Reductive Elimination Pathway for 10-Hydroxywarfarin. 
Pouncey D.L., Barnette D.A., Sinnott R.W., Phillips S.J., Flynn N.R., Hendrickson H.P., Swamidass S.J., and Miller G.P.
Frontiers in Pharmacology. 2022, 12. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2021.805133.

MALDI Imaging Mass Spectrometry: An Emerging Tool in Neurology. 
Schnackenberg L., Thorn D.A., Barnette D.A., and Jones E.E.
Metabolic Brain Disease. 2022, 37(1): 105-121. Doi: 10.1007/s11011-021-00797-2.

Machine Learning Liver-Injuring Drug Interactions with Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) from a Retrospective Electronic Health Record (EHR) Cohort.  
Datta A., Flynn N.R., Barnette D.A., Woeltje K.F., Miller G.P., and Swamidass S.J.
PloS Computational Biology. 2021, 17(7). doi: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1009053.

Meloxicam Methyl Group Determines Enzyme Specificity for Thiazole Bioactivation Compared to Sudoxicam.  
Barnette D.A., Schleiff M.A., Datta A., Flynn N., Swamidass S.J., and Miller G.P.
Toxicology Letters. 2021, 338: 10-20. doi: 10.1016/j.toxlet.2020.11.015.

Dual Mechanisms Suppress Meloxicam Bioactivation Relative to Sudoxicam.  
Barnette D.A., Schleiff M.A., Osborn L.R., Flynn N., Matlock M., Swamidass S.J., and Miller G.P.
Toxicology. 2020, 440. doi: 10.1016/j.tox.2020.152478.

Comprehensive Kinetic and Modeling Analyses Revealed CYP2C9 and 3A4 Determine Terbinafine Metabolic Clearance and Bioactivation.  
Barnette D.A., Davis M.A., Flynn N., Pidugu A.S., Swamidass S.J., and Miller G.P.
Biochemical Pharmacology. 2019, doi: 10.1016/j.bcp.2019.113661.

CYP2C19 and 3A4 Dominate Metabolic Clearance and Bioactivation of Terbinafine Based on Computational and Experimental Approaches.  
Davis M.A., Barnette D.A., Flynn N.R., Pidugu A.S., Swamidass S.J., Boysen G., and Miller G.P.
Chemical Research in Toxicology. 2019, doi: 10.1021/acs.chemrestox.9b00006.

Lamisil (Terbinafine) Toxicity: Determining Pathways to Bioactivation through Computational and Experimental Approaches. 
Barnette D.A., Davis M.A., Dang N.L., Pidugu A.S., Hughes T., Swamidass S.J., Boysen G., and Miller G.P.
Biochemical Pharmacology. 2018, 156: 10-21. doi:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bcp.2018.07.043.

Stereospecific Metabolism of R- and S-Warfarin by Human Hepatic Cytosolic Reductases.  
Barnette D.A., Johnson B.P., Pouncey D.L., Nshimiyimana R., Desrochers L., Goodwin T.E., and Miller G.P.
Drug Metabolism and Disposition. 2017, 45 (9): 1000-1007. doi: 10.1124/dmd.117.075929.

Exposure Cessation During Adulthood Did Not Prevent Immunotoxicity Caused by Developmental Exposure to Low-Level Trichloroethylene in Drinking Water.  
Gilbert K.M., Bai S., Barnette D., and Blossom S.J.
Toxicological Sciences. 2017, 157 (2): 429-437. doi:10.1093/toxsci/kfx061.

Evaluation of Virulence and Antimicrobial Resistance in Salmonella enterica Serovar Enteritidis Isolates from Humans and Chicken- and Egg-Associated Sources. 
Han J., Gokulan K., Barnette D., Khare S., Rooney A.W., Deck J., Nayak R., Stefanova R., Hart M.E., and Foley S.L.
Foodborne Pathogens and Disease. 2013, 10 (12): 1008-1015. doi:10.1089/fpd.2013.1518.

 

Lab Members

Contact information for all lab members:
(870) 543-7121
NCTRResearch@fda.hhs.gov

Abraham Ittycheri, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow

Elizabeth (Ellen) Jones, Ph.D.
Research Biologist

Sandeep Kondakala, Ph.D 
Postdoctoral Fellow

Contact Information
Dustyn A. Barnette
(870) 543-7121
Expertise
Expertise
Approach
Domain
Technology & Discipline
Toxicology
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