14-year-old Heman Bekele from Virginia developed a possible new treatment for skin cancer patients earning him the title of America’s Top Young Scientist and a $25,000 prize.
“He is an incredibly bright, passionate and focused young man,” said Deborah Isabelle, Heman’s mentor, in a statement obtained by ABC News. “Heman is both compassionate and charismatic, which are great traits for a scientist. With his curiosity and determination, I have no doubts he will change the world for the better.”
“Skin cancer is mostly found in people who live within developing countries,” Bekele said. “But the average price for an operation is $40,000. I was devastated by the idea of people having to choose between treatment and putting food on the table for their families. There are so many preventable deaths.”
Bekele’s soap contains agents that could potentially reactivate dendritic cells that help eliminate skin cancer cells. The soap can be made for $0.50 per bar and $8.50 for a 20 pack of bars — however, it’s not available for sale just yet.
“It was so difficult to get a bar of soap that didn’t just melt immediately,” said Bekele to WRIC. “Persistence is a very important part of the scientific process.”
Bekele moved from Ethiopia to Virginia when he was four years old and is now a student at W.T. Woodson High School. According to the outlet, Bekele experimented for months with various combinations of “salicylic acid, glycolic acid and tretinoin.”
According to the Cancer Center, one in five Americans will develop skin cancer in their lifetime, and around 9,500 are diagnosed daily with “some form of skin cancer.”
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