Teenager Invents Cancer-Fighting Soap

Who invented the cancer-fighting soap?

Heman Bekele is a 14-year-old student from Virginia, USA. He made a soap called Melanoma Treating Soap (MTS) to help treat skin cancer. This won him first place in the 3M Young Scientist Challenge. It is a competition that encourages children to find innovative solutions to common problems.

He says this soap will cost less than $10. The soap bar can help treat melanoma, a skin cancer affecting many people in the USA and worldwide.

What do we know about the soap?

The MTS was created by combining various cancer-fighting chemicals. Heman Bekele used a computer model to test these chemicals and their combinations. The computer's data helped him see if the mixtures worked.

The soap’s tiny particles will activate the body’s immune system and help fight cancer. Even though Bekele saw good results on the computer, the soap hasn't been tried on people yet. Heman also wanted to make it less expensive because he noticed cancer treatment costs a lot.

What is melanoma skin cancer?

Melanoma is a kind of skin cancer that happens when melanocytes start growing uncontrollably. Melanocytes are the cells that give the skin a brown or tan colour. Melanoma is not as common as other skin cancers. But, it's more serious because it can spread to other body parts if not detected and treated early.

Melanomas can show up anywhere on the skin. Melanomas can also develop in places like the eyes, neck, face, mouth, etc. The main cause of melanoma is ultraviolet light, which comes from the sun and other sources.

But don't worry! Melanoma is also dependent on one’s age, pale skin, family history of skin cancer, etc. To stay safe from skin cancer, one must use sunscreen, wear a hat that covers the head and neck, wear protective clothing, etc.