APTX 4869

From Detective Conan Wiki
Revision as of 18:39, 17 June 2012 by Chekhov MacGuffin (talk | contribs) (Speculation about the original intent: explaining why Silver Bullet and APTX seem to be the same project)
APTX 4869

APTX 4869 (四八六九 Yon-Hachi-Roku-Kyuu?), nicknamed Prototype Detective, is a fictional toxin and derivative of an experimental formula of unknown purpose developed by Shiho Miyano, which is used by the Black Organization as an untraceable, lethal poison. Right now, there is a prototype antidote for it made by Shiho, namely Antidote (Prototype).

Description

APTX is an abbreviation of "Apoptoxin," and, as the name implies, it involves the activation of apoptosis: the mechanism by which cells kill themselves. APTX contains ingredients which have other functions as well. It contains a component which activates telomerase: an enzyme which lengthens the caps at the end of DNA whose length limits the number of times a cell can divide.

In practice, most of the time APTX 4869 works as a lethal poison. Gin says it can't be detected when used, possibly indicating it leaves few traces that forensic examination could uncover. However, in very rare cases, it causes the apoptosis of non-neural cells only and the apoptosis stabilizes at some point, causing the victim's apparent age to be decreased while leaving higher thought processes, memory, and personality unaltered. Shinichi, the series' protagonist, is such a victim; later Shiho Miyano, who chooses to attempt suicide by using her own drug, was added to the known people to have survived after taking APTX 4869 throughout the series.

Name origin

APTX 4869 is a pun on "Sherlock Holmes". 4869 can also be pronounced "Shi-Ha-Ro-Ku", which translates into Sherlock. Adding to the pun, the password for the APTX data is "Shellingford"[1], an unintentional misspelling of "Sherrinford", which was the name Arthur Conan Doyle called his detective character before deciding on "Sherlock".[2] The password and the pun name seem to be related to why several members of the Black Organization call APTX 4869 the "incomplete detective", implying APTX 4869 is not finished yet.

Reversing the effects

Gin poisons Shinichi.

Throughout the series there are several instances in which the APTX was temporarily neutralized and Shinichi and Shiho were returned to their actual age forms. The main ingredient for this reversal is a component found in baijiu, which Haibara has already incorporated in a prototype antidote for the APTX.[3]

It is to note that in the instances where Shinichi or Shiho were successfully changed back, the recipient was suffering from a common cold while the component was ingested, indicating that the immune system somehow has to be taxed for the antidote to work.[4][5][6] While not canon, Crossroad in the Ancient Capital uses this idea as Conan is given a pill to give him the symptoms of a cold, while drinking baijiu.

Conan and Haibara briefly reverted to their true age while having rum cake (thought to contain among other things baijiu) in the live action drama Shinichi Kudo Returns! Confrontation with the Black Organization.

Speculation about the original intent

At first, it was revealed by Gin that the APTX 4869 was a poison to kill people who know too much about the Black Organization. He used Shinichi as a guinea pig. Shiho Miyano said that she didn't intend to create a poison,[7] which suggests that APTX 4869 was originally developed with a different goal in mind. It probably was just a useful side effect that the current prototype kills while leaving no trace in the victim’s body, and was thus employed as a poison - a usage which Haibara detests.[8] Additionally, APTX 4869 is nicknamed the "incomplete detective" by the Black Organization, which means its true purpose has not yet been achieved. In a flashback on the Bell Tree Express, it is revealed her parents (before they died) were working on a "dream drug" they called the Silver Bullet, which seems to be the same drug as APTX4869.[9] When the flashback ends, Haibara expresses her resentment that the drug was something that should have never been made.[10]

Immortality/anti-aging

One possibility is that the goal of the APTX 4869 is to develop a therapy which will cause immortality, stall or reverse the effects of aging, or extend a human's lifespan. The de-aging effect that occurred when Shinichi and Haibara took APTX 4869 probably indicates the main intent of the drug's development. After Pisco saw Haibara shrink back to her child form, he commented that he was impressed she had developed the drug to that point, implying that deaging is in the right direction.[11] Supporting this is Haibara’s line, "Kudo-kun? You would probably never even dream that you are already part of a project the Black Organization has been working on already for half a century."[12] APTX 4869 is the only known intersection between Shinichi and the Black Organization; meaning that Shinichi's de-aging made him relevant to the Black Organization's project.

According to Haibara’s description about APTX 4869[13], APTX 4869 activates telomerase, an enzyme which can increase the number of times a cell can divide, and therefore affect a cell's lifespan and “reproductive potential”. The goal of this might be to revert all non-neural cells to a "youthful", high reproductive potential state. Vermouth's unnatural youth is another indicator that the Black Organization may be involved in research towards extending lifespan, halting aging, or rejuvenating the body.

The goal of the antagonists in Magic Kaito is pursuing immortality, via the Pandora Gem, but it is unclear whether if the organization in Magic Kaito is the same one as the Black Organization.

Raising the dead

The original purpose of APTX 4869 might be to raise the dead. Once when Conan asked Haibara directly what APTX 4869 was meant to do she replied, "It's a nostrum to raise the dead. I wonder if that answer is satisfactory?"[14] The context of the comment, however, makes it unclear if she was merely bluffing to provoke Conan into revealing that he had been looking into the Black Organization behind her back, rather than making a serious statement of the purpose of the drug.

References

  1. ^ Volume 24, File 10, page 11, confirmed to be spelled this way in the original Japanese.
  2. ^ "The name comes from Arthur Conan Doyle's earliest notes for A Study in Scarlet, which gave the great detective's name as "Sherrinford Holmes" and that of his medical companion as "Ormond Sacker"." "Sherlockian.Net: William S. Baring-Gould". Chris Redmond. 2010. http://www.sherlockian.net/societies/baringgould.html. Retrieved on 2012-01-28. 
  3. ^ Manga Chapters 092-095: The Great Detective of the West
  4. ^ Manga Chapters 092-095: The Great Detective of the West
  5. ^ Manga Chapter 241: The Bullet from the Past
  6. ^ Manga Chapters 255-257: The School Play Case
  7. ^ Manga Volume 18, File 9, page 9
  8. ^ Manga Volume 18, File 9, page 9
  9. ^ Silver Bullet and APTX 4869 appear to be the same drug because Haibara is holding the antidote to APTX 4869 and considering it during this flashback. She then regrets that she didn't understand the drug should have never been made, and Haibara had worked on the APTX 4869 project her parents had left behind.
  10. ^ Manga File 821
  11. ^ Manga Volume 24, File 11, page 9
  12. ^ Manga Volume 19, File 9: Chapter 191: Episode 130-131
  13. ^ Manga Volume 24, File 10
  14. ^ Manga Volume 38, File 2, page 8: "The Old Picture"
Black Organization
High ranking The BossRumGinVermouth
Other agents VodkaKir (undercover) • ChiantiKornBourbon (undercover)
Deceased agents Akemi MiyanoTequilaKenzo Masuyama/PiscoAtsushi MiyanoElena MiyanoCalvadosRikumichi KusudaEthan Hondou (undercover) • Hiromitsu Morofushi/Scotch (undercover)
Former agents Shiho Miyano/Sherry (Ai Haibara) • Shuichi Akai/Dai Moroboshi/Rye (undercover) • Ki'ichiro Numabuchi
Extended canon Yoshiaki Hara (movie only) • Irish (movie only) • Masaaki Okakura (movie only) • Arrack (special manga only) • Generic (special manga only) • Blackbeard (special manga only) • Kate Lauren (playstation only) • Curaçao (movie only) • Stout (movie only) • Aquavit (movie only) • Leona Bucholz/Riesling (movie only) • Man in bar (tv special only) • Pinga (movie only)
Related articles Black Organization timelineAPTX 4869Nanatsu no KoScar AkaiList of Black Organization related charactersVermouth timelineSuguru ItakuraKohji Haneda caseKarasuma Group"The Criminal"Night BaronCrow
Manga Roller Coaster Murder Case¥1,000,000,000 RobberyBullet-Train BombingGame Convention CaseMissing Older Brother CaseMurdered Professor CaseHotel Party Murder CaseBus Hijacking CaseKaitou Kid and the MurderEscalator Message CaseGolden Apple CaseFootsteps of DarknessMeeting with VodkaFour Porsches CaseBathroom Murder CaseHalloween Party CaseBlack Organization vs. FBIMysterious Job CaseKir Transport CaseForeign Suspect CaseDepartment Store Bomber CaseOnline ClientMystery TrainTennis MeetupA Shrine to RememberElementary Teacher AssaultScarlet ShowdownGirls Band Murder CaseSoul Detective Murder CaseA song named ASACAMissing Maria Higashio CaseSisters' Birthday Party Murder CaseYusaku Kudo's TV Show CaseFBI Serial Murder CaseAkemi Miyano's Time CapsuleChess Tournament Murder Case
Anime Roller Coaster Murder CaseGame Company Murder CaseThe Black Organization: One Billion Yen Robbery CaseThe Girl from the Black Organization and the University Professor Murder CaseReunion with the Black OrganizationThe Gathering of the Detectives! Shinichi Kudo vs. Kaitou KidThe Mysterious PassengerThe Secret Rushed OmissionShinichi Kudo's New York CaseOn the Trail of a Silent WitnessContact with the Black OrganizationThe Four PorschesHidden Bathroom SecretHead-to-Head Match with the Black Organization: A Dual Mystery on a Full Moon NightBlack Impact! The Moment the Black Organization Reaches OutThe Shadow of the Black OrganizationClash of Red and BlackThe Crisis Beckoned by the Red OmenDetectives' NocturneThe Jet-Black Mystery TrainConan in a Locked RoomJodie's Memories and the Cherry Blossom Viewing TrapThe Scarlet ReturnThe Shadow Approaching Amuro (TV original) • The Unfriendly Girls BandThe Spirit Detective's MurderThe Betrayal's StageSearch for Maria-chan!The Birthday Party of Divine PunishmentYusaku Kudo's Detective ShowThe Black Organization's SchemeAkemi Miyano's Time Capsule
Movies and Specials Countdown to HeavenTime Travel of the Silver SkyBlack HistoryThe Raven ChaserShinichi Kudo Returns! Confrontation with the Black OrganizationThe Darkest NightmareBlack Iron Submarine
Special Manga The Wish Put on the AirshipThe Black Organization...RevealedProtect the Luxury Liner from the Virus
Playstation Remembrance Treasure Case