In 1969, two separate labs simultaneously identified antigens in the sera of SLE and SS patients. Clark et al. referred to the antigen as Ro – named after the patient from which the antibodies were extracted, while Alspaugh & Tanand used the term SSA. It was later found that the labs described the same antigen, hence the compound term for the antibody, Anti-SSA/Ro, Anti-Ro/SSA.