Get a daily digest of the latest news in tech, science, and technology, delivered right to your mailbox. Subscribe now.emerge in the world of innovation at younger ages than ever before, a 14-year-old student named Heman Bekele, residing in Fairfax, Virginia, developed a soap called MTS to treat skin cancer.
The inspiration behind the soap came from Bekele's childhood experiences in Ethiopia before moving to the United States at the age of 4; he told: “Growing up in Ethiopia, I always thought people were always getting hit by the hot sun working outside. I didn't think much of it when I was really little, but as I grew up I realized how big of an issue really is. Not only in Ethiopia but everywhere around the world.
The young creator shared, “The average price of skin cancer treatment globally is almost $40,000. When I heard those shocking statistics, it inspired me to create a more affordable and accessible solution. I started doing experiments and working on different things, and then that turned into my bar of soap as a project.”
However, he was working on the saponification process. The entire process required an emulsifier, some bases, and a couple of chemicals. “So I was able to do that all relatively safely and efficiently just from my house.”