LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) — Losing hair shouldn’t have to be part of fighting cancer. At least, that’s the hope behind a new Michigan State University (MSU) study testing a shampoo-like gel designed to keep chemotherapy patients from going bald.

The gel, developed by MSU engineering professor Bryan Smith and his team, works by temporarily restricting blood flow to the scalp, limiting how much of the toxic drugs reach hair follicles during treatment. 

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“This unmet need of chemotherapy-induced alopecia appealed to me because it is adjacent to the typical needs in medicine such as better treatments and earlier, more accurate diagnostics for cancer,” Smith said in a statement.

Currently, the only approved defense against chemotherapy baldness is the cold cap—a costly option that can also come with side effects.

MSU’s experimental gel offers a different approach. Applied before chemotherapy begins, it “clings” to the scalp at body temperature, delivering drugs such as lidocaine and adrenalone that shrink blood vessels and shield follicles. Once treatment ends, patients can wash it out with cool water.

Animal testing suggests the gel limits how much chemotherapy drug reaches the scalp, protecting hair from shedding. Researchers now hope to secure federal or private funding to advance into human trials.

“The research has the potential to help many people,” Smith said.