EAST LANSING, Mich.— One of the key struggles for patients who are fighting cancer is hair loss. A team of Michigan State University researchers are hoping to solve this social problem with a shampoo-like hair gel that could protect hair from falling out during chemotherapy treatment.
Baldness from chemotherapy-induced alopecia causes personal, social and professional anxiety for everyone who experiences it. Currently, there are few solutions — the only ones that are approved are cold caps worn on the patient’s head, which are expensive and have their own side effects, including headaches, chills, and nausea.
Bryan Smith, an associate professor in the College of Engineering and with MSU’s Institute for Qualitative Health Science and Engineering, has developed a gel the consistency of shampoo that he hopes will help protect patients’ hair throughout treatment…