Heman Bekele, 14, won this year’s 3M Young Scientist Challenge. He invented a soap as a treatment for melanoma skin cancer.
Born in Ethiopia, he came here when he was 4.
He says the memories of people working long hours outside under the glaring sun in Ethiopia stayed with him as he made his way through the Fairfax County Public Schools school system. He was struck by the dramatic differences in skin cancer survival rates in parts of Sub-Saharan Africa compared to places where high-tech cancer treatments are available.
“Skin cancer is mostly found on people who live within developing countries,” Heman says. “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.”
Heman Bekele competed against nine other finalists at 3M’s headquarters in St. Paul, Minn.
He was determined to find a better way. So Heman researched skin cancer, learning about dendritic cells, which he says help protect skin by boosting immune response. Then he spent months playing with salicylic acid, glycolic acid and tretinoin, trying to find the right combination to help treat skin cancer. He developed SCTS, which stands for skin cancer treating soap, and works by reactivating dendritic cells.
“I was just looking for a fun science experiment at first,” he says.
One major challenge was to find the right combo to ensure the soap held together. Using 3M Cavilon (a moisturizer and barrier cream), coconut oil, and organic shea butter, he was able to make that happen.
“It was so difficult to get a bar of soap that didn’t just melt immediately,” Heman says, adding he probably tried a dozen different combinations. “Persistence is a very important part of the scientific process.”
As Heman advanced in the 3M Young Scientist Challenge, he received support from a 3M-assigned mentor who worked with him over the summer to turn his initiative into a prototype.
Heman thanks University of Virginia researchers, his teachers and his parents — including his mom Muluemebet Getachew, a special education teacher at Lynbrook Elementary School — for supporting him and developing his love of science.
He secured his victory during challenge events at 3M’s global headquarters in St. Paul, Minn. The final 10 contestants were evaluated on their ingenuity and innovative thinking, application of STEM principles, demonstration of passion and research, presentation skills and ability to inspire others, according to 3M.
Along with his title comes a $25,000 prize, which Heman hopes to put toward securing a patent and college.
His future goals include developing a nonprofit organization to distribute his soap in low-income communities by 2028.
Heman’s product, SCTS, can be made for $0.50 a bar, or $8.50 for a pack of 20 bars, he says. He believes using the soap every few days can help treat certain forms of skin cancer.
TOP PHOTO: Heman Bekele experiments with different combinations of products to develop his skin cancer treating soap