A high school freshman from Virginia, United States, Heman Bekele, has earned the title of “Bravest Young Scientist in America” and a $25,000 prize by winning this year’s 3M Young Scientist Challenge for creating a soap to treat skin cancer.
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Bekele’s invention, at the age of 14, is a soap designed to treat skin cancer and was inspired by memories of people working in the strong sun in Ethiopia, his country of origin, where skin cancer is prevalent, and treatment is expensive.
Bekele researched dendritic cells of the immune system and used a combination of ingredients to create the soap, facing challenges in keeping it cohesive. The soap has also been praised by a doctor as an innovative approach to skin cancer treatment, although additional clinical tests are needed to prove its effectiveness.
Bekele plans to use the prize to obtain a patent for his product and save for college. Additionally, he has plans to establish a nonprofit organization to distribute his soap in low-income communities in the future.
