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Brief history

Learn how SPIN got started

SPIN – Skin Inflammation & Psoriasis International Network was initiated in 2004 as PIN – Psoriasis International Network by the FRT - Fondation René Touraine, a non-profit and a non-governmental organisation dedicated to support therapeutic progress in dermatology by fostering international collaborations.

After several European meetings on psoriasis held in Italy every 2 or 3 years, the FRT and Prof. Louis Dubertret organised the European Congress on Psoriasis - PSO 2004 in Paris, which acquired a great international dimension, with over 600 participants from 40 different countries. Following the PSO 2004 Congress, many participants showed great interest in developing networking activities in the field of psoriasis.

The founding meeting of the former PIN was held in Paris (Nov 18, 2005) between 20 countries willing to develop national psoriasis groups and willing to connect these groups into an international network. 11 countries were able to send a representative and 9 additional countries expressed a strong interest but were unable to come. The President of EUROPSO, the European federation of psoriasis associations, participated as well in the founding meeting.
This founding meeting formalised the international collaborations in the field of psoriasis started with the PSO 2004 Congress, creating thus the Psoriasis International Network. To develop this international network, it was proposed to:
• set up a website: www.psoriasis-international.org (now www.spindermatology.org!)
• organise every 3 years an International Congress on Psoriasis in Paris
• publish regular newsletters and "Focus On”

In 2011, a Scientific Committee was created to steer the scientific development of the network by proposing international collaborative projects, contributing to continuing medical training in psoriasis and supporting the development of national and regional psoriasis networks.

The network has grown ever since, gathering around 4700 healthcare professionals involved in the management of psoriasis from some 100 countries, 330 dermatology centres as well as 43 patient organisations. Since 2004, PIN has successfully:
• organised 5 international congresses on psoriasis and educational symposia during other dermatology meetings
• built a worldwide directory listing psoriasis medical resources for patients
• provided organisational support to the development of dedicated outpatient consultations at the local level
• fostered the development of national and regional networks on psoriasis
• carried out international studies on the current practice of the use of methotrexate and phototherapy in the treatment of psoriasis
• initiated a worldwide survey on the use of therapeutic patient education in psoriasis with the aim of developing a toolbox
• collaborated with the EADV Psoriasis Task Force since 2005.

In 2016, it was decided by the FRT Board of Directors to broaden the scope of the PIN to include other major chronic inflammatory skin diseases. This would allow to benefit from the benchmark of PIN’s actions and achievements in psoriasis and put it to the service of other diseases. With this change, we hope to transfer the know-how acquired on psoriasis (highest standard in issues such as quality of life, high burden and co-morbidities) and build on the collaborations made possible via the PIN network and expand them to other major chronic skin inflammatory diseases.

Following this decision, the former PIN Scientific Committee has decided to change the name of the network to SPIN – Skin Inflammation & Psoriasis International Network. On an operational level, the Committee decided to broaden the network’s scope progressively, one chronic inflammatory skin disease at a time. Starting in 2017, the new SPIN will cover psoriasis and expand its activities to atopic dermatitis.