The risk of skin cancer increases for millions of people worldwide as summers grow hotter and longer each year. This problem resonated deeply with Heman Bekele, a young boy from Ethiopia who witnessed firsthand how prolonged sun exposure led to life-threatening diseases among those working outdoors.

Now a teenager living with his family in Fairfax, Virginia, Bekele has been named Time Magazine’s 2024 Kid of the Year for his groundbreaking research and development of a soap designed to treat skin cancer. His goal is to make this bar of soap affordable and accessible to everyone in need.

Bekele's mentor, Deborah Isabelle, from the 3M Young Scientist Challenge, describes him as a kind, intelligent, focused, inspiring, and energetic young man. The chair of 3M’s Science Training Encouragement Program believes Bekele has the potential to inspire other young people to see that science can make a positive difference. He has dedicated countless hours to contacting professors and conducting experiments to refine his soap, which aims to deliver cancer-fighting drugs via lipid nanoparticles designed to activate the body's immune cells to combat cancer.

Bekele's journey into research and development began in his family's kitchen, where he first experimented with soap-making. Combining emulsifiers with various bases and chemicals sparked his interest in the science behind everyday products. His curiosity and determination eventually led him to become a finalist in the 3M Young Scientist Challenge. During this time, he received guidance from Deborah Isabelle, an experienced R&D professional who helped him organize and refine his ideas.

The result of Bekele's work is the Melanoma Treating Soap, which contains cancer-fighting agents, including Imidazoquinoline—a compound commonly used in acne and antifungal treatments. Recent studies suggest that this drug also holds potential for treating skin cancer. By incorporating nanolipid-based particles into the soap, Bekele found a way to deliver Imidazoquinoline and other cancer-fighting compounds deep into the skin, offering a promising approach to treating certain types of melanoma.

Bekele's soap is still in the early stages of development. A portion of his prize money from the 3M Young Scientist Challenge is dedicated to further research, including obtaining FDA certification, conducting human trials, and, within the next four years, transforming his passion project into a nonprofit organization aimed at providing accessible skin cancer treatment to as many people as possible.

The Big Idea

In a world currently fixated on digital technologies, Bekele’s soap shows how reimagining everyday items can become solutions to global problems. Bekele’s positive impact is both about skin cancer treatments and the idea that big change can come from unassuming places. What if progress lies not in creating something new, but in reimagining what already exists? 

Look around you. How might we reconsider the ordinary objects around us and their untapped potential? How might plastic waste be used differently? How might our garden hose be a solution to a changing climate? How might reading the daily news improve our wellbeing? 

What commonplace item might hold the key to our next great leap forward? The answer may be closer than we think, waiting for a curious mind like yours to unlock its potential. If you have an idea you’d like to share, email us at [email protected]!