TIME’s 2024 Kid Of The Year Is A 15-Year-Old Who Invented Cancer-Fighting Soap
Image via TIME
At just 15, Heman Bekele is already making a name for himself, not just in his school, but across the globe. Named TIME Magazine’s 2024 Kid of the Year, Bekele’s claim to fame is a unique invention—an affordable soap that could potentially prevent and treat skin cancer. All this lathers up to a life-saving innovation that makes medication more accessible, especially in communities where healthcare options are limited.
Born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and now living in Virginia, Bekele’s fascination with science began early. While other kids were experimenting with video games, he was tinkering with household chemicals. By the age of seven, he was already diving into the world of complex chemical reactions, driven by a passion to create something meaningful. That curiosity laid the groundwork for his future achievements.
Bekele’s breakthrough idea was simple yet powerful: develop a product that could improve public health. His soap, designed to be both affordable and effective, is infused with nanoparticles carrying imiquimod, a compound known for treating basal cell carcinoma. The soap’s unique formulation ensures that the medication stays on the skin even after washing, offering a potential game-changer in cancer treatment. This invention not only earned him the 3M Young Scientist Challenge prize in 2023 but also US$25,000 and recognition from the scientific community.
“Anybody could do what I did,” Bekele told TIME with characteristic modesty. “I just came up with an idea. I worked towards that idea, and I was able to bring it to life.”
Image via 3M
The road to being named TIME’s Kid of the Year wasn’t easy. Editors and writers from TIME and TIME for Kids sorted through countless submissions, looking for young trailblazers making a difference in science, social justice, and business. Bekele’s story stood out—not just for its scientific merit but for his dedication to improving lives.
Currently, Bekele is splitting his time between his studies at Woodson High School and furthering his research at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. With his focus on developing this soap into a widely available product, his ultimate goal remains clear: to make a real impact on people’s lives by offering a cost-effective solution to a deadly disease.
[via TIME, USA Today, CNN, My Modern Met, images via various sources]
