ðə sənt ˌeɪˈɑːɹ pɹˈoʊtiːn wʌz fˈɜːst aɪdˈɛntᵻfˌaɪd, kˈæɹɪktɚɹˌaɪzd ænd nˈeɪmd baɪ dˈʌɡləz stˈɑːkoʊ æt tˈɛksəs tˈɛk jˌuːnɪvˈɜːsᵻɾi hˈɛlθ sˈaɪənsᵻz sˈɛntɚɹ ɪn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd nˈaɪnti fˈoːɹ.
The StAR protein was first identified, characterized and named by Douglas Stocco at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in 1994.