By MyEngineers
Heman Bekele, a 15-year-old from Fairfax County, Virginia, was named TIME’s Kid of the Year for 2024 for his innovative skin-cancer-fighting soap.
This recognition comes as a result of his groundbreaking invention: a soap that could potentially treat and prevent multiple forms of skin cancer. Inspired by childhood memories in Ethiopia, Bekele utilized lipid-based nanoparticles to deliver imiquimod.
At just 15, Heman has spent the past year developing a groundbreaking bar of soap that could treat the early stages of skin cancer. His project won him the 2023 Young Scientist Challenge, a middle school science competition, that features outstanding innovations from young scientists that demonstrate the power of science to improve the world hosted by 3M and Discovery Education. His invention earned him recognition and a $25,000 prize.
The TIME magazine described Heman Bekele as a “15 year old scientist who could change how we treat Skin Cancer.”
Heman’s journey began at the age of 7 when he conducted homemade science experiments using household chemicals. He’d been conducting his own science experiments for about three years by that point, mixing up whatever he could get his hands on at home and waiting to see if the resulting goo would turn into anything.
“They were just dish soap, laundry detergent, and common household chemicals,” he says today of the ingredients he’d use. “I would hide them under my bed and see what would happen if I left them overnight. There was a lot of mixing together completely at random.”
A Christmas gift of a chemistry set, before his 7th birthday, which included sodium hydroxide, inspired him to explore chemical reactions further. This interest led him to dream of creating an unlimited energy supply, but a close call with a fire taught him the importance of caution and oversight.
By then, he had been looking up chemical reactions online and learned that aluminum and sodium hydroxide can together produce prodigious amounts of heat. That got him thinking that perhaps he could do the world some good. “I thought that this could be a solution to energy, to making an unlimited supply,” he says. “But I almost started a fire.” After that, his parents kept a closer eye on him.
Born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Heman emigrated to the United States with his family at age 4. Bekele’s early curiosity laid the groundwork for his scientific journey.
His childhood memories of laborers working under the harsh sun inspired him to find a way to protect people from skin damage. He learned about imiquimod, a drug that fights skin cancer, and envisioned it as a key ingredient in a soap that could be affordable and accessible worldwide.
His innovative idea of using lipid-based nanoparticles to deliver the drug through soap caught the attention of the 3M Young Scientist Challenge, which awarded him $25,000 in 2023. Heman is reinvesting most of the award into his project, with the remainder supporting his education.
The soap, known as SCTS (Skin Cancer Treating Soap), is a compound-based formula infused with cancer-fighting chemicals. One key ingredient, Imidazoquinolines, is wrapped in a lipid-based nanoparticle.
“It’s absolutely incredible to think that one day my bar of soap will be able to make a direct impact on somebody else’s life,” Heman Bekele
According to Heman, while the soap’s suds wash away, the medicinal components remain on the skin to continue their work. His goal wasn’t just to fight skin cancer but to create an accessible, affordable treatment for it.
“I hope my work inspires other young scientists to pursue their ideas and make a difference,” he said.
“By 2028, I hope to turn SCTS, which is right now just a passion project, into more than that. I hope to turn it into a nonprofit organization where I can provide equitable and accessible skin cancer treatment to as many people as possible,” he said.
The soap, still in the testing phase, holds promise for making cancer treatments more accessible and affordable, though it is not yet commercially available and may take up to a decade to receive FDA approval. Bekele’s work has already garnered significant attention from the scientific community.
Heman is currently collaborating with Vito Rebecca, a molecular biologist and assistant professor at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, to develop his skin-cancer-fighting soap. The partnership allows Heman to conduct research in a professional lab, working on experiments with mice to test the efficacy of his invention.
Vito Rebecca, who sponsored Herman’s research at the hospital first connected with Heman while at a Melanoma Research Alliance networking event in Washington, DC.
“I remember reading somewhere something about this young kid who had an idea for a skin-cancer soap,” Rebecca told TIME.
“It immediately piqued my interest, because I thought, how cool, him wanting to make it accessible to the whole world. And then, by complete serendipity at this Melanoma Research Alliance meeting, the CEO of the alliance introduced me to Heman. From the first conversation, his passion was evident. When I found out he lived very nearby in Virginia, I told him if he ever wanted to stop by the lab he’d be more than welcome.”
Despite the challenges ahead, Heman remains optimistic about the impact of his work. His commitment to science and innovation is evident in his presentation at the National Academy of Future Physicians and Medical Scientists, where he spoke before 8,000 attendees.
“Anybody could do what I did. I just came up with an idea. I worked towards that idea, and I was able to bring it to life.”
“I’m really passionate about skin-cancer research, whether it’s my own research or what’s happening in the field,” he told TIME. “It’s absolutely incredible to think that one day my bar of soap will be able to make a direct impact on somebody else’s life. That’s the reason I started this all in the first place.”
Beyond his scientific endeavors, Heman participates in the Woodson High School marching band, enjoys basketball, reads voraciously, and plays chess. He attributes his success to the support of his family and mentors, particularly his parents and Deborah Isabelle, his mentor from the 3M Young Scientist Challenge.
Heman’s achievements at such a young age exemplify his belief that innovation and creativity are boundless. His message to aspiring inventors is: “Just keep inventing. Keep thinking of new ways to improve our world and keep making it a better place.”
The Kid of the Year award, introduced in 2020, celebrates exceptional young individuals in the US for their contributions to society. Previous winners include Gitanjali Rao, honoured for her work on clean drinking water and cyberbullying, and Orion Jean, for his “Race to Kindness” campaign.