HEMAN Bakele is a 15-YEAR old Ethiopian American teenager who was named “Time Kid of the Year 2024” for his efforts in fighting skin cancer.
A 15-YEAR old Ethiopian teenager has been named Time Kid of the Year 2024 for his efforts in fighting skin cancer.
The prestigious title was bestowed on Heman Bakele for developing a bar of soap that could one day treat and possibly prevent various forms of skin cancer.
Every year the century-old “Time Magazine”, which is globally regarded as an authoritative source of news, honours a child who has made a significant contribution to society.
In a TV interview Heman said that he was “delighted” by the recognition which “felt surreal”.
“To be completely honest, I'm still fully taking it in now. More than anything I felt so happy, but as well as that, really inspired and motivated because I'm still 15 years old, but this experience has shown me that even at a young age, my ideas can be heard and valued. So, it'll definitely be something that'll motivate me in the future as well.”
Heman was only four when he started mixing various household detergents to see what reaction he could get. “They were just dish soap, laundry detergent, and common household chemicals.
“I would hide them under my bed and see what would happen if I left them overnight,” he told “Time”.
By the time he was six he already had his first chemistry set and involved in more advanced science experiments. Heman’s parents emigrated from their home in Addis Ababa to the US when he was four. He said one of his earliest memories was seeing labourers working in scorching sunlight in Ethiopia, mostly without skin protection.
His parent’s warned him and his two sisters about the danger of being outdoors without sunscreen or proper clothing. It was only in America where he realised how serious it was and wondered what he could do about the problem.
He told Time that he heard about Imiquimod, a drug that comes in the form of a cream and is approved to fight one form of skin cancer. Heman wanted to develop something that would give more people access to treatment, was simpler to use and didn’t cost $40 000.
Heman said at the time he realised that almost everyone uses soap and water for cleaning and so developing a soap which prevents skin cancer made sense.
“I’m really passionate about skin-cancer research...whether it’s my own research or what’s happening in the field. It’s absolutely incredible to think that one day my bar of soap will be able to make a direct impact on somebody else’s life. That’s the reason I started this all in the first place.” he said.
Time writes that while the idea was simple, it was more complex than mixing the drug with soap because it might just be washed down the drain. To remedy this, the soap was mixed with a lipid-based nanoparticle so that it would remain on the skin when the soap was washed off.
Last year the grade 10 pupil was named winner of 3M and Discovery Education’s ‘Young Scientist Challenge’ , his prize was a tidy sum of $25 000 after pitching his idea to a panel of judges.
Despite the money which will go into his research, Heman still needed a professional lab to continue his work and the opportunity arose when he attended a networking event hosted by the Melanoma Research Alliance.
There he met Vito Rebecca, a molecular biologist and assistant professor at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. Rebecca went on to become his principal investigator and they’ve been hard at work in a lab at the university’s Bloomberg School of Public Health where they are testing his research on mice. Apart from being a scientist, he is juggling his research lab work with school.
At an age where many teenagers are interested in dating, gaming or just chilling, Heman is already a consummate public speaker and in June he made a presentation to 8,000 people at a meeting of the National Academy of Future Physicians and Medical Scientists. He said the event was both “nerve-racking” and enjoyable and his social media profile states that he is open to other public engagements and partnerships.
“Time” notes that despite talking to researchers and massive audiences, he is still a schoolboy who plays flute and trombone in his school's marching band, plays basketball and is obsessed with reading and chess.
On his Linked In account Heman describes himself as: “Freshman attending Woodson High School. Self-taught programmer- fluent in Python, Lua, JavaScript, and C. Passionate about medicine, programming, and making an impact. Eager for opportunities in research and internships in STEM & computer science.”
Apart from being named America's Top Young Scientist last year, earlier this year Heman was also recognised at the National Inventors Hall of Fame Museum for their "Breaking Barriers" display.
The cancer-fighting bar of soap is still in development and will take at least 10 years before it is ready because of ongoing research and getting the necessary approvals. By that time Heman will be 25 and already years ahead of other scientists and medical students. His motivation is to keep improving the world and making it a better place for all.