Research by the University of Edinburgh has shed light into the process of DNA transposition which could enable the immune system to target infection more effectively.

The process identified how a protein enables 'junk' DNA to be copy and pasted within the human genome.

Dr Julia Richardson, who led the study, explains: "By forming a picture of the enzyme that causes DNA to shift, and discovering how this works, we understand more about how these proteins could be adapted and controlled.

"This may one day enable genes to be pasted into cells exactly where they are needed - which could be of enormous benefit in developing gene therapies."

The cut-and-paste property of shifted DNA is now being used to develop tools for scientific research and medical applications. Learning more about transposition could help scientists understand how to control the process and speed the development of gene therapies - which introduce into cells genes with beneficial properties that, for example, can fight hereditary diseases or cancer.

Earlier this month, scientists at the University of Washington in Seattle were able to cure colourblindness in monkeys. It is, however, politically controversial, and has, in the few tests that have been carried out on humans, sometimes triggered cancer and other life-threatening complications.

In May, researchers at Harvard University and the Catholic University at Leuven, Belgium published findings in Science that showed how some 'junk' DNA may enable organisms to adapt quickly to changes in their environment.

The following month, a team of researchers at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland announced that plant 'junk' DNA may be key in helping scientists improve the control of gene expressions in transgenic crops.

The University of Edinburgh study was funded by the Wellcome Trust and the Medical Research Council. It has been published in the journal Cell.