My group at the University of Dundee collaborates with Manu Hegde’s group on shared interests in secretory and membrane protein biogenesis. The long-standing question of my group is how the export of secretory and membrane proteins from their site of synthesis in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is influenced by protein folding. We make use of the in vitro translation systems developed by Manu’s group to reconstitute protein biogenesis, observe direct interactions with protein chaperones and export factors and measure protein secretion. By understanding the molecular details of these protein-protein interactions, we hope to develop small molecules that selectively inhibit the secretion of some proteins while leaving the rest of the secretome intact.