What exactly is Shiho's specialty?

[samcurt]

It seemed that all shots of Shiho (or Ai, for that matter, and down to Movie 12) working was working on a computer, not a lab bench. Which is kind of weird, since my impression was that she is rather a molecular biologist than a bioinformatician. And developing APTX needs relelatively little computational work than genetics or proteomics AFAIK, and can just be delegated to employed underlings. So exactly what Shiho has been learning for all her time in the US...?

[GinRei]

She's likely some level of bioengineer.  She does the actual actual theoretical work on the biology behind the drug, and other scientists do the grunt work of actually creating the drug based on her data.

[aeliussinicus]

Being a prodigy and parallel character to Shinichi, she likely has in-depth knowledge of many subjects.  There was that one episode when she calculated the tangential velocity on a ferris wheel from it's height and time rather quickly, so she must have some understanding of physics and mathematical ability as well.  It's not surprising, seeing as so many characters are just brilliant like that in this show.

[DarkWolfYoukai]

I'm guessing she's good with biochemistry as well seeing as it's the chemistry of vital processes in living things, and knowing biochemistry is very helpful in developing drugs.

[kirite]

So if she does enroll in school in her real age, would she be enrolled in university?

[GinRei]

She was a high level scientist doing research and experiments far beyond what a normal scientist does.  I would assume she's already attended and graduated from college.

[Rellik]

and uni, i don't think BO would trust some not even a fully qualified scientist like millions of dollars/pounds/yen? to make a poison.

[vpkenan_8]

She was a high level scientist doing research and experiments far beyond what a normal scientist does.  I would assume she's already attended and graduated from college.

if she is a high level scientist or a prodigy or whatever, why is that the development of the antidote of the shrinking drug is so slow?

[GinRei]

Because it's hard to make a cure for something that you don't have much information on.  She said so back in episode 129.  She didn't memorize the formula used in the poison, so without that it'd be very hard to create an antidote.  She also said that with the actual formula she could create the antidote in a short period of time, but then the disc with the formula had the Knight Baron virus and wiped the disc and computer.

In short, can't cure what you don't know.

[samcurt]

She said so back in episode 129.  She didn't memorize the formula used in the poison[...]

She doesn't need to remember this. She can remember know that APTX-4869 is a [enzyme name] inhibitor/agonist/antagonist and she can always have much of a head start there-- I am sure she knew that.

Well, this is how the drugs of this day do anyway. Antidepressants are receptor reuptake inhibitors. New cancer drug are kinase inhibitors or synthetic antibodies for some protein, etc.

[GinRei]

Yeah, it gives her a headstart, but she can't create an antidote out of thin air just by knowing the basics of how it works.

[SilverBullet]

She said so back in episode 129.  She didn't memorize the formula used in the poison[...]

She doesn't need to remember this. She can remember know that APTX-4869 is a [enzyme name] inhibitor/agonist/antagonist and she can always have much of a head start there-- I am sure she knew that.

Well, this is how the drugs of this day do anyway. Antidepressants are receptor reuptake inhibitors. New cancer drug are kinase inhibitors or synthetic antibodies for some protein, etc.

That may be true, but Agasa has not the money that the BO has, and his basement is far inferior than the labs from the BO, and she doesn't have the help she used to have (I'm not sure how much of a help Agasa can be..... but anyway she should have a lot of people working for her).
Plus... she has already done the antidote.... she only needs to improve it to make the effects permanent.

[sdf1macross]

Or maybe in some level she doesn't want to remember