The opinions that appear below were contributed by people who
have first-hand knowledge of Dr. Torres and his continuing work.


— Kathy Blanco —

     As president of CHILDSCREEN, a nonprofit organization looking into autism biomarkers, I have come to the undeniable conclusion that Dr. Anthony Torres, Senior Research Scientist at Utah State University's Center for Persons with Disabilities, is a premier researcher in the immunoneurological aspects of autism.

     My family recently participated in a revealing research study that proved my children lacked an important immune complement that affects their neurological system. This research helped us uncover additional information that was previously unknown to us. It showed us how my children could acquire certain aspects of their autism, and it furthered my understanding of the modalities of treatments open to them.

     I met with Dr Torres last year hoping that he could shed light on some concerns that are shared by the autistic community. I made a personal plea for him to consider the aspect of immune derangement that I had studied. He listened to me gratefully, and with curiosity and compassion eagerly offered his support. I was especially impressed by his willingness to listen. I believe it is a hallmark of his character and reveals the scientist within. His work has always been characterized by trusted and unbiased research. I can personally attest that his work has lent credibility and light to what happened to my children. He has always been sympathetic to the suffering endured by the families of this affliction, and his scientific methods are impeccable. Credibility such as this is something we parents have always hoped for. We have long prayed for someone to come to our aid, someone “on the hunt” for the cause of this disorder, someone who could ferret it out in a timely efficient manner, and most of all, someone who possessed the academic credentials needed to believably voice the message of this research to trusted colleagues, journals and others. I am personally convinced that Dr. Torres’ new theory explains what has happened to millions of children with complex neurological disorders, and that it is groundbreaking in its scope.

Kathy Blanco
www.childscreen.org

— Walt Runkis —

     I first met Dr. Anthony R. Torres in 1994. I wanted to make the leap from plant science to biotechnology and decided to manufacture Protein A as the means of accomplishing the task. Protein A is a membrane protein found in Staphylococcus aureus, which has a plurality of immunochemical uses since it binds most forms of human antibodies. I was confident I could work-out the microbiology protocols, but knew I had a low probability of designing an adequate purification scheme. A friend at Merck suggested I contact Dr. Torres. “When it comes to isolating proteins, Ron Torres is one of the best in the world—good guy too,” was his exact remark. That recommendation launched a chain of events that produced both a long-term friendship and a manufacturing protocol to produce “Human- and Animal-Free Protein A.” In fact, the process we developed is ideally suited for making Protein A for human therapeutic purposes, such as purifying human antibodies for the treatment of cancer. We were assigned a patent for the purification protocol on Christmas Eve, 2002.

     Working on this project with Dr. Torres was one of the highlights of my life. I have been an entrepreneur and inventor for over 35 years, and was no stranger to a laboratory. Be that as it may, working with Ron Torres taught me the real meaning of scientific proof. For him to accept that we had truly isolated Protein A, it had to be proved using three different methods. One of those proofs was a Western Blot. Actually, as it happened, the experiment he designed was two experiments in one, since it not only proved that our “protein of interest” was Protein A, it also proved that antibodies found in blood taken from an autistic patient would bind to a protein isolated from the brain of a deceased autistic person. The later indicated a likelihood there was an autoimmune component to autism.

     I am not an expert in the field of autism research, but I do consider myself an expert on the subject of Dr. Ron Torres. I have read his new hypothesis indicating a potential linkage between autism, fever and antipyretics. His research to date appears solid. Unfortunately, he has taken the process of discovery about as far as anyone can go without having the funding to do the work needed to compile irrefutable proof. I personally believe he is onto something, and fervently hope he can raise the money needed to complete this important and timely work.

Walt Runkis
CEO, RollingDigital
www.rollingdigital.com