The Human Genome Project

In the present chapter it is carried out an evaluation of the motivations which lead to the launching and the subsequent development of the Human Genome Project. In this respect, then ideological, biosanitary and economic factors are considered. Although the importance of the sanitary applications is admitted, both in then diagnostic aspect and, the long term, in the therapeutic one, it is argued that the economic factors were the most important component in the development of the Human Genome Project. It is also discussed the sanitary applications and the problems associated to themselves, derived of the growing influence of the genetic factors in the development of the present day medicine and how the economic interests determine negatively the lines of investigtion of multifactorial diseases.