I am a neuropharmacologist with expertise in receptor signalling, biased agonism and allosteric modulation, focused on translating molecular insights into new therapeuties for neurodegenerative diseases.
I completed my PhD (2008) in the Department of Pharmacology at Monash University with Professor Roger Summers, where I characterised the binding and signalling properties of relaxin peptides at human and mouse relaxin-3 receptors. This work established my foundation in quantitative pharmacology and receptor signalling analysis and shaped my interest in how subtle differences in receptor engagement drive distinct biological outcomes.
From 2008 to 2012, I undertook postdoctoral research with Professor Michel Bouvier at the Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer, University of Montreal. There, I determined intracellular signalling “fingerprints” for clinically used β₂-adrenergic receptor drugs, linking pathway-specific signalling to therapeutic efficacy and adverse effects. This work advanced the concept of drugs as modulators of complex signalling networks and resulted in publications in Molecular Pharmacology, Nature Chemical Biology and Nature Communications. It was also recognised with the 2022 Early Career Researcher Award from the Monash Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences.
Between 2013 and 2022, I worked with Professor Arthur Christopoulos at the Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences on the discovery and characterisation of novel allosteric modulators of the M1 and M4 muscarinic acetylcholine receptors, contributing to drug discovery programs targeting Alzheimer’s disease and schizophrenia.
In 2023, I joined St Vincent’s Institute with Professor Michael Parker, where my research focuses on developing and characterising new drug candidates for Alzheimer’s disease by integrating pharmacology, structural insights and disease-relevant models.
Across my career, I have worked at the interface of drug discovery, pharmacology and translation, with a focus on manipulating receptor signalling mechanisms to improve drug efficacy and safety.
Key achievements
2025 Yulgilbar Foundation Rising Star Fellowship
2024 SVI Rising Star Award
2022 Monash University Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences Early Career Researcher (<10 years) Award
2011 – 2019 NHMRC CJ Martin Fellowship
2008 – 2012 Canadian Institutes of Health Research Postdoctoral Fellowship; Canadian Hypertension Society Postdoctoral Fellowship Top-Up; Fonds du Recherche du Quebec Postdoctoral Fellowship; Canadian Heart and Stroke Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship
2008 Young Investigator Award. 5th International Conference on Relaxin
2007 Best Oral Presentation Award at Molecular Pharmacology of GPCRs Conference
2006 Graduate Student Travel Award, ASCEPT
2004 Young Investigator Award. 4th International Conference on Relaxin
2004 – 2008 NHMRC Dora Lush Scholarship
Structural Biology
We determine the three-dimensional atomic structures of proteins involved in disease, with a focus on neurodegenerative diseases. These structures help us to explore protein function, as well as to discover new drugs.
Lab head: Professor Michael ParkerSelected publications
McDonald JK*, van der Westhuizen ET*, Pham V, Thompson G, Felder CC, Paul SM, Thal DM, Christopoulos A, Valant C. Biased Profile of Xanomeline at the Recombinant Human M4 Muscarinic Acetylcholine Receptor. ACS Chem Neurosci.2022 Apr 20;13(8):1206-1218. doi: 10.1021/acschemneuro.1c00827. Epub 2022 Apr 5. *Co-first authors
van der Westhuizen ET, Choy KHC, Valant C, McKenzie-Nickson S, Bradley SJ, Tobin AB, Sexton PM, Christopoulos A. Fine Tuning Muscarinic Acetylcholine Receptor Signaling Through Allostery and Bias. Front Pharmacol. 2021 Jan 29;11:606656. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2020.606656
Jörg M*, van der Westhuizen ET*, Khajehali E, Burger WAC, White JM, Choy KHC, Tobin AB, Sexton PM, Valant C, Capuano B, Christopoulos A, Scammells PJ. 6-Phenylpyrimidin-4-ones as Positive Allosteric Modulators at the M1mAChR: The Determinants of Allosteric Activity.
ACS Chem Neurosci. 2019 Mar 20;10(3):1099-1114. doi: 10.1021/acschemneuro.8b00613. *Co-first authors
Masureel M, Zou Y, Picard LP, van der Westhuizen E, Mahoney JP, Rodrigues JPGLM, Mildorf TJ, Dror RO, Shaw DE, Bouvier M, Pardon E, Steyaert J, Sunahara RK, Weis WI, Zhang C, Kobilka BK. Structural insights into binding specificity, efficacy and bias of a β2AR partial agonist. Nat Chem Biol. 2018 Nov;14(11):1059-1066. doi: 10.1038/s41589-018-0145-x
van der Westhuizen ET, Spathis A, Khajehali E, Jörg M, Mistry SN, Capuano B, Tobin AB, Sexton PM, Scammells PJ, Valant C, Christopoulos A. Assessment of the Molecular Mechanisms of Action of Novel 4-Phenylpyridine-2-One and 6-Phenylpyrimidin-4-One Allosteric Modulators at the M1 Muscarinic Acetylcholine Receptors. Mol Pharmacol. 2018 Jul;94(1):770-783. doi: 10.1124/mol.118.111633
van der Westhuizen ET, Breton B, Christopoulos A, Bouvier M. Quantification of ligand bias for clinically relevant β2-adrenergic receptor ligands: implications for drug taxonomy. Mol Pharmacol. 2014 Mar;85(3):492-509. doi: 10.1124/mol.113.088880