Heman Bekele, who was born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, but grew up in Annandale, Virginia, has been named TIME’s 2024 Kid of the Year.
Heman developed an idea to create a Skin Cancer Treating Soap (SCTS), which resulted in a “compound-based bar of soap charged with different types of cancer-fighting chemicals.”
According to TIME, the soap incorporates imiquimod, which is a drug used in treating one form of skin cancer as well as other skin-related issues.
The soap is supposed to help heal the skin internally, which will then show results externally because the skin cancer will slowly start to fade away,” Bekele explained in 2023.
This led to him being recognized that year as “America’s Top Young Scientist” in the 3M Young Scientist Challenge, the nation’s premier middle school science competition created by 3M and Discovery Education.
Related stories
Bekele became the first black scientist to receive the honor at 14 years of age.
As TIME’s 2024 Kid of the Year, he is also reported to have been given a $25,000 cash prize, which can be helpful to advance his research and refine it for the market.
Although it may take years before the soap can be sold, for now, he remains steadfast in bringing the product to its completion at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, MD.
In an interview with TIME, Heman Bekele stated: “I’m really passionate about skin-cancer research, whether it’s my own research or what’s happening in the field. 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.”
Herman’s research is sponsored by Vito Rebecca, a molecular biologist and assistant professor at Johns Hopkins, whom he first connected with while at a Melanoma Research Alliance networking event in Washington, DC.
“I remember reading somewhere about this young kid who had an idea for a skin cancer soap. 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.”
All in all, Bekele hopes the time spent on researching and perfecting SCTS will allow it to be functional to cure cancers starting from its early stage, including Stage 0.
