Bright mind Heman Bekele has been named TIME’s 2024 Kid of the Year.
As AFROTECH™ previously reported, Bekele, who was born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, developed the 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.
“It’s 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.
Bekele became the first Black scientist to receive the honor at 14 years old.
“It’s incredible, and it’s definitely a once-in-a-lifetime type of opportunity and something that I’ll never forget. It’s definitely gonna stay with me forever, but I’m still taking it all in,” he told AFROTECH™ at the time.
TIME reports he was also given a $25,000 prize, which can be helpful to advance his research and refine it for market. Although it may take years before it 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.
“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.”
Herman’s research at the hospital 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 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.”
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. He also previously shared with AFROTECH™ that he aims for it to open doors to more equitable skin cancer treatments through a nonprofit.
“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.
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