Because of the interdisciplinary nature of neuroimmune pharmacological research, the roots of research in this area are quite diverse. Therefore, we make no attempt in this brief historical perspective to trace every such root in detail. However, the main root that nourished the evolution of The Society on NeuroImmune Pharmacology (SNIP), and the conferences in this area that it sponsors, is connected to studies aimed at defining the ability of drugs of abuse to modulate immune function. Research on the immunological effects of drugs of abuse span the entire 20^th century. However, it was at the dawn of the 1980's that seminal reports by Drs. Joseph Wybran (J. Immunol. 123:1068, 1979), A. Lopker (Bioch. Pharmacol. 29:1361, 1980), and Robert McDonough (J. Immunol. 125:2539, 1980) planted the seeds that allowed for expansive growth - a growth fostered greatly by a concurrent, broad, general interest in understanding the interconnections between immunology and neurobiology.

In 1983, interest in neuro-immuno-pharmacological research was promoted significantly by the emerging realization that opiate addicts are both reservoirs for, and transmitters of AIDS. This realization prompted the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA, NIH) to sponsor their first of many technical reviews in the area. The review, "Drugs and Altered Immune Function", was held at NIDA headquarters in the fall of 1983, chaired by Dr. Monique Braude. Subsequently, various societies picked-up on the theme of the NIDA meeting, and included related talks and posters at their meetings. A selected chronology of major meetings held through the 1980's that disseminated work in this area includes: 1983 - American Society of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics; 1984 - Committee (now College) on Problems of Drug Dependence (CPDD); 1984 and 1986 - the 1^st and 2^nd International Workshops on Neuroimmunomodulation; 1987 - The Gordon Conference in Santa Barbara, CA.

Through the past decade and even earlier, continuity of the dissemination of information in this field has been maintained, principally, by the CPDD. Their meetings have included yearly symposia on neuro-immune-pharmacology since 1986; and they have sponsored a number of SNIP Satellite Conferences. This continuity was also advanced by Drs. Herman Friedman, Thomas Klein and Steven Spector of the University of South Florida, who organized the first full-fledged conferences in the field, in 1989 and 1992. Also, the PsychoNeuroImmunological Research Society (PNIRS), the Neuroimmunomodulatory Society (NIMS), the Cannabis Society and the Alcohol-Immunology Working-Group have all held symposia in the field over the past decade.

The main root underlying the formation of the Society on NeuroImmune Pharmacology, in fact, connects directly to the 1992-meeting of the CPDD. Symposium participants at this meeting formed a conference organizing committee spearheaded by Drs. Burt Sharp (University of Tennessee, Memphis), John Madden (Emory University, Atlanta), and Martin Adler (Temple University, Philadelphia, PA). With major contributions from Drs. Thomas Klein, Toby Eisenstein (Temple University) and Jean Bidlack (University of Rochester), a meeting was organized as a satellite to the 1993-CPDD meeting in Toronto. Dr. John Madden obtained peer-reviewed grant funding from NIDA to help underwrite conference costs. The primary focus of the first conference was to discuss the immunomodulatory effects of drugs of abuse and their role in infectious-disease processes--especially AIDS. Since that meeting, a series of conferences, all sponsored by NIDA-funded meeting-grants to Dr. Madden in behalf of the organizing group, have been held at various venues, as both independent meetings and satellites to larger conferences as listed below:

As attendance at these annual meetings grew, the idea resonated among participants and organizers that it may be appropriate to form a society to promote and disseminate knowledge in the area. During the 1999 - meeting held on the NIH Bethesda-campus, a working-group of participants and meeting-organizers agreed that an effort to launch a society should be mounted. Acting on behalf of this group, Dr. Robert Donahoe (Emory University, Atlanta, GA) organized a founder's meeting at the offices of Dr. Burt Sharp on the campus of the University of Tennessee, Memphis. Participants were Drs. Donahoe, Sharp, Madden and Richard Weber (University of Illinois, Peoria). These principals worked in close consultation with the working-group formed in Bethesda to define operating principles and organizational structure of a new society.

After considering various society names, the working-group selected The Society on NeuroImmune Pharmacology (SNIP) by majority vote. A mission statement was drafted.
Society bylaws and organizational structure were defined in specific recognition of the fact that a number of drugs and endogenous congeners other than abused substances also have important neuroimmune effects. The executive committee, also, recruited 51 Charter Members who donated funds to provide infrastructure support to the society. The Society was incorporated in the State of Georgia as a tax-exempt organization. The Executive Officers and Board met formally at the first official SNIP Conference at Emory University in Atlanta, GA, in March, 2001; and the SNIP bylaws were approved by majority vote of conference participants.

The 10^th Conference in this ongoing series is scheduled for March 24 - 28, 2004
at the La Fonda on the Square in Santa Fe, NM