[Commentary on the symposium "Projection of Molecular Epidemiology Medicine"]

Molecular epidemiology represents an association between molecular biology and traditional epidemiologic research. Molecular epidemiology focuses on genetic and environmental risk factors at the molecular level that influences etiology and distribution of diseases oriented to early diagnosis and treatment. Since 1993 Mexico has been participating at the International Molecular Epidemiology Task Force (IMETAF) supported by the World Health Organization and Pan American Health Organization. Mexico was the first country in Latin American that established projects in molecular epidemiology. Presentations in the Symposium Projection of molecular epidemiology in medicine, expressed the future potential of genetic knowledge in identification of genes that contribute to susceptibility or resistance to diseases.