Posted on Oct 29, 2023
Q&A: This scientist developed a soap that could help fight skin cancer. He's 14.
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https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2023/10/27/ [login to see] /q-a-this-scientist-developed-a-soap-that-could-help-fight-skin-cancer-hes-14
Heman Bekele is not your typical high school student. Rather than spending his free time playing video games or staring at his phone, this 14 year-old from Fairfax, Virginia was calling professors and conducting experiments, all to invent a product he hopes could help change the world.
His goal is to create a soap that could treat skin cancer, and to make it affordable for everyone who needs it.
His work won him the grand prize in this year's 3M Young Scientist's Challenge, a competition that encourages kids to think of unique ways to solve everyday problems.
Heman Bekele is not your typical high school student. Rather than spending his free time playing video games or staring at his phone, this 14 year-old from Fairfax, Virginia was calling professors and conducting experiments, all to invent a product he hopes could help change the world.
His goal is to create a soap that could treat skin cancer, and to make it affordable for everyone who needs it.
His work won him the grand prize in this year's 3M Young Scientist's Challenge, a competition that encourages kids to think of unique ways to solve everyday problems.
Q&A: This scientist developed a soap that could help fight skin cancer. He's 14.
Posted from npr.org
Cancer
Science
Medical
Health
Fairfax
Posted 6 mo ago
Responses: 2
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."Heman Bekele is taking home $25,000 dollars from the national middle school competition hosted by 3M and Discovery Education.
"The final product that it is, it can actually help remove skin cancer altogether," Bekele said. "After doing more research, I found out that cancer cells can't really be killed. It's using your internal resources, reviving them to help fight against the cancer cells within your body. So what's happening is these cells called dendritic cells, are being reawoken, revived, after being killed by skin cancer."
Then those cells help to fight the cancer.
Bekele says reversing the damaging effects of skin cancer isn't something new, but what makes his bar of soap stand out is how accessible it is.
"I know that the average price of skin cancer treatment in the U.S. alone is almost $40,000, but my bar of soap only costs $8.50 to create, and it can replicate the same effects as something that people would pay thousands and thousands of dollars to try to get," Bekele said.
Bekele says he was inspired to create this soap due to lack of access in Ethiopia where his family is from.
He hopes to turn his passion project into a nonprofit organization by 2028 so he can impact people all over the world."
..."Heman Bekele is taking home $25,000 dollars from the national middle school competition hosted by 3M and Discovery Education.
"The final product that it is, it can actually help remove skin cancer altogether," Bekele said. "After doing more research, I found out that cancer cells can't really be killed. It's using your internal resources, reviving them to help fight against the cancer cells within your body. So what's happening is these cells called dendritic cells, are being reawoken, revived, after being killed by skin cancer."
Then those cells help to fight the cancer.
Bekele says reversing the damaging effects of skin cancer isn't something new, but what makes his bar of soap stand out is how accessible it is.
"I know that the average price of skin cancer treatment in the U.S. alone is almost $40,000, but my bar of soap only costs $8.50 to create, and it can replicate the same effects as something that people would pay thousands and thousands of dollars to try to get," Bekele said.
Bekele says he was inspired to create this soap due to lack of access in Ethiopia where his family is from.
He hopes to turn his passion project into a nonprofit organization by 2028 so he can impact people all over the world."
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Not so much about age more to do with motivation and inspiration.
Rich
Rich
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