TIME is honoring 15-year-old, Heman Bekele, for his contributions to potentially helping treat and cure skin cancer.
The announcement, made public on Thursday, highlights Bekele’s transformative work in creating an affordable and effective skin cancer-treating soap.
As Time writes, “His accomplishment: inventing a soap that could one day treat and even prevent multiple forms of skin cancer. It may take years before such a product comes to market, but this summer Heman, who’s 15, is already spending part of every weekday working in a lab at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, hoping to bring his dream to fruition.”
“It’s an incredible feeling, it’s surreal,” Bekele shared with Time. “To be honest, I haven’t even taken it in yet.” The young scientist’s innovation, which Time described as a “bar of soap that’s very cheap but also very effective at treating skin cancer,” holds promise for significantly altering how we approach treatment
Years later, after his family immigrated to the U.S., 7-year-old Bekele got a chemistry set for Christmas that came with sodium hydroxide. It was then that he began learning the power of chemical reactions.
Around that time, he also started thinking more critically about the potential damage that prolonged sun exposure can have on the human body.
“When I was younger, I didn’t think much of it, but when I came to America, I realized what a big problem the sun and ultraviolet radiation is when you’re exposed to it for a long time,” Bekele told TIME.
He became interested in the research surrounding skin cancer and its treatment.
“I’m really passionate about skin cancer research,” he told the magazine. “Whether it’s my own research or what’s happening in the field.”
“Almost everyone uses soap and water for cleaning. So soap would probably be the best option.”
He eventually learned about imiquimod, a drug that was already approved to treat some forms of skin cancer. When used in a cream form, it can also help destroy tumors.
But Bekele thought back to his early years in Ethiopia and wondered if there was a way to use imiquimod to treat earlier stages of skin cancer and make it more accessible to people of different socio-economic classes.
“Almost everyone uses soap and water for cleaning. So soap would probably be the best option,” Bekele said about why he decided to develop a soap. The bar of soap would cost people significantly less than the current $40,000 price of the cream.
In a video that accompanied the TIME article and explained how the soap works, Bekele explained that it contained nanoparticles “loaded” with imiquimod, which helps ensure that the drug stays on the skin at a “very molecular level” even when the soap is washed off.
His idea has potential according to scientists in skin cancer research and treatment, as well as the judges of 3M company and Discovery Education’s 2023 Young Scientist Challenge, who named Bekele its winner and awarded him $25,000.
Bekele’s remarkable achievements serve as a powerful reminder of the potential that young minds hold in addressing complex global health challenges. His groundbreaking work not only positions him as a leading young scientist but also brings hope to millions battling skin cancer worldwide.
As Bekele continues to refine and expand his research, the medical community and the public eagerly await further developments. His story is a testament to the impact that dedication, innovation, and a compassionate vision for the future can have, proving that age is no barrier to making significant contributions to science and society.