A key part of this discovery, made by a team from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne, is an enzyme called cyclic GMP-AMP synthase (cGAS).

This protein is tasked with identifying infiltrating viruses. It binds to any foreign DNA floating out of place in a cell's gooey cytoplasm and triggers a reaction alerting the body to an invader. Scientists Find 'Switch' That Stops Immune System Attacking Healthy Cells : ScienceAlert