Heman Bekele: Soap carrying imiquimod in lipid nanoparticles for skin cancer
Soap carrying imiquimod in lipid nanoparticles for skin cancer.
Remembering labourers working in strong sun in Ethiopia, Bekele looked for the cheapest possible way to deliver an existing drug. His soap carries imiquimod, a topical immune-response medicine already used for some skin cancers, in lipid nanoparticles designed to stay on the skin after the suds rinse off. He won the 3M Young Scientist Challenge in 2023 and was TIME's Kid of the Year in 2024; he now works in a Johns Hopkins lab while finishing school.
Two journal commentaries have cautioned that no peer-reviewed data exist and that imiquimod does not treat melanoma, so "cure" headlines overstate the case. The idea is credible; the evidence is pending.
IP note
US 2025/0332089 A1, filed 29 Apr 2024, published 30 Oct 2025; office action Apr 2026.
Recognition
3M Young Scientist 2023; TIME Kid of the Year 2024.
What this means for a student inventor in India
[Editor: 120–200 words connecting this story to the Indian route — Section 6 (any true inventor may apply), provisional vs complete specification, disclosure at fairs (Section 31), renewals, and who owns what when a school is involved. Link to the relevant MYCrave guide.]
Related young innovators
- Easton LaChappelle — 3D-printed robotic prosthetic arm; later TrueLimb
- Shalini Kumari — Stair-climbing walker with adjustable front legs
- Arsh Shah Dilbagi — TALK
Sources
[Editor: list the 2–4 primary sources from the research notes for this entry, with the date checked.]
Working on something like this?
Start with a patentability search, not a filing. Request an expert assessment