ProCyte Corp. of Kirkland, Wash., announced Monday thatresearch data on its wound-healing drug Iamin nowdemonstrate how the compound affects collagen geneexpression.

Speaking at last week's Keystone Symposium on Wound Repairin Breckenridge, Colo., F. X. Maquart of the University of Reimsin France explained that Iamin stimulates the formation ofcollagen fibers in wound sites in an established wound-healingmodel. Iamin, which is a tripeptide complexed with copper, alsoactivates essential inflammatory cells in the wound area. Bothevents are part of a complex series of interrelated events thatmust occur for wounds to heal, the company said.

ProCyte (NASDAQ:PRCY) also presented data from itsmulticenter, placebo-controlled Phase II trial on Iamin fortreating diabetic plantar ulcers at the Keystone Symposium.According to clinical investigator Kevin Romanko, Iaminsignificantly increased the rate of wound closure in theseulcers, as well as decreased the wound infection rate.

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