The idea came from his memories of people from Ethiopia.
A high school student in Virginia, USA, was looking for a fun science experiment – and ended up making soap to treat skin cancer.
nypost.com writes about this.
Heman Bekele, who attends WT School. Woodson, in the Fairfax County Public School System (FCPS), was named “America's Top Young Scientist” and awarded $25,000 after winning this year's 3M Young Scientist Challenge.
The teenager's idea to make soap to treat skin cancer came from his memories of people working long hours outside under the scorching sun in Ethiopia, his home country.
“Skin cancer is most common in people living in developing countries,” Bekele said. “But the average transaction price 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.”
The aspiring scientist began researching skin cancer, especially dendritic cells, which help the immune system attack cancer cells.
He used various ingredients including salicylic acid, glycolic acid and tretinoin to create a skin cancer treatment soap that helps stimulate dendritic cells.
One of the biggest challenges, Bekele says, is keeping the soap from falling apart. To do this, he used a mixture of moisturizer, coconut and organic shea butter.
Bekele said the process taught the teen the value of perseverance. One of the main challenges was to find the right combination of ingredients so that the soap would hold together and not fall apart.
Using 3M Cavilon (moisturizer and protector), coconut oil and organic shea butter, he was able to achieve this.
Eric D. Whitman, MD, medical director of Atlantic Health System Cancer Care in New Jersey, said Bekele's invention is “an interesting way to create a topical immune-activating agent that could help treat or prevent certain types of skin cancer.”
“While this is a remarkable effort from such a smart and motivated young man, further clinical trials are needed to find out whether soap 'reactivates' dendritic cells, or even treats or prevents cancer,” Whitman told Fox News Digital. “I hope that this young scientist will continue his work and have the opportunity to collaborate with clinical sites to test his product and see if it delivers on its potential promises.”
Over the summer, the teen worked with mentor Deborah Isabel, a product development specialist at 3M in Minnesota, to develop her soap.
Bekele also received support from University of Virginia researchers, FCPS educators and parents.
Among 10 participants, Bekele was announced as the winner in early October at 3M's global headquarters in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Bekele plans to use his prize money to obtain a patent for his soap and save for college.
In the future, he hopes to create a non-profit organization to distribute his soap to low-income communities.
Let us remind you that the second man in history who received a pig heart transplant died 6 weeks after the operation . Lawrence Faucett, 58, had the operation in September.
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