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Established in 2000, the IS3NA was the brainchild of Prof. J.-L. Imbach and Prof. L. B. Townsend, the two "fathers" of the International Roundtable meetings. They wanted the IRTs to continue but wanted control of the IRTs to become the responsibility of a new Society formed for that purpose. This new Society would not only take over the operation of the IRTs but would also bring together people interested in each aspect of research related to nucleotides, oligonucleotides, and nucleic acids. 
 

The aim of the IS3NA is to capitalize on the knowledge of practicing members across several disciplines to understand the impact of nucleic acids in a plethora of cutting-edge scientific questions ranging from the origins of life to the development of novel therapeutics.