Virginia teen develops cancer-fighting soap; named 'America's top young scientist'

A middle-schooler from Virginia has been named "America's top young scientist."

Heman Bekele, 14, developed a bar of soap that could be useful in the treatment of melanoma. It's made from compounds that could reactivate certain cells that guard human skin, enabling them to fight off cancer.

Bekele immigrated to the U.S. with his family when he was four.

He said he was inspired by what he saw in his native land as Ethiopian workers labored for hours under the sun.

He said the memory made him want to create something to help as many people as possible be saved from melanoma

Heman will now work on getting the soap approved by the FDA.

He said once he gets it to market, he wants to create a non-profit so everyone can have access to his soap and its benefits.