Seal Rock Therapeutics Joins The Michael J. Fox Foundation's LITE Program to Advance New Therapies Targeting LRRK2 for Parkinson's Disease

Program to Support Advancement of First-in-class LRRK2/ASK1 Signaling Complex (LASC) Inhibitors

SEATTLE, Aug. 13, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Seal Rock Therapeutics, Inc., a clinical stage company dedicated to improving the lives of people living with liver, brain or neuromuscular diseases who have limited treatment options, today announced it has joined The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research (MJFF) LRRK2 Investigative Therapeutics Exchange (LITE) program. The LITE program supports the development of new therapies targeting LRRK2 for the treatment of Parkinson's disease patients, including Seal Rock Therapeutics' brain-penetrant LRRK2/ASK1 signaling complex (LASC) inhibitors. Seal Rock's LASC inhibitors are first-in-class oral molecules that act by simultaneously blocking both LRRK2 and ASK1 to optimize efficacy.

Seal Rock's LASC inhibitors have demonstrated powerful neuroprotective effects in preclinical studies. Inhibition of both targets in tandem is more effective than targeting either alone and eliminates the kidney and lung toxicity exhibited by many LRRK2 inhibitors.

"Seal Rock is honored to be a new industry member of The Michael J. Fox Foundation's LITE program and be part of a powerful consortium of academic and industry leaders who recognize the potential of LRRK2 inhibition for Parkinson's disease.  MJFF's recognition of the need for collective action and the support to pursue this promising target is a bold step that will likely shave years off the time it takes for new drugs to be available to patients," said Neil McDonnell, CEO of Seal Rock Therapeutics. "As for our program, we are excited to learn more about LASC inhibitors through research by some of the top labs in the field. ASK1 and LRRK2 are central to many disease processes in Parkinson's disease. Through the LITE initiative, we expect to gain a better understanding of their disease activity when both are inhibited simultaneously, as well as further exploring the mechanisms behind the elimination of kidney and lung safety findings."

"At The Michael J. Fox Foundation, we remain steadfast toward our singular and urgent mission of delivering better treatments and a cure for patients living with Parkinson's disease," said Shalini Padmanabhan, PhD, MJFF's senior vice president and head of translational research. "We look forward to advancing what's possible in LRRK2 drug development while de-risking industry investment through open-science policies and the collaboration of experts across key opinion leaders, including through the participation of Seal Rock Therapeutics."

About Seal Rock Therapeutics

Seal Rock Therapeutics is a privately held, clinical stage company based in Seattle focused on developing first-in-class and best-in-class treatments for severe diseases with limited or no available therapies. Seal Rock is led by an experienced management team with a track record of successful drug discovery, development and commercialization. The company's clinical-stage lead product candidate, SRT-015, is a highly optimized, first-in-class ASK1 inhibitor.  Seal Rock is also developing preclinical-stage brain-penetrant ASK1/LRRK2 signaling complex (LASC) inhibitors for treatment of neurodegenerative conditions such as Parkinson's disease and ALS.

For more information, please visit www.sealrocktx.com

About the LRRK2 Investigative Therapeutics Exchange (LITE) Program 

The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research (MJFF) launched LITE in 2024 to pave the way for new therapeutic approaches for LRRK2, connect companies that are developing LRRK2-targeting therapies with pharma and biotech opinion leaders, and provide preclinical and clinical resources to establish best practices for advancing LRRK2 targeted therapeutics. Mutations in the LRRK2 gene linked to Parkinson's disease were first discovered in 2004 and are now understood to be the most common cause of inherited PD. Built on MJFF's dedication to open science, LITE fosters international collaboration across more than 30 academic and clinical centers and more than a dozen companies. The initiative is governed by an active steering committee consisting of MJFF staff and field leaders and is implemented by the University of Dundee in the United Kingdom. The LITE program also will benefit from collaboration with the Aligning Science Across Parkinson's (ASAP) initiative-supported programs including the Collaborative Research Network (CRN), the Parkinson's Progression Markers Initiative (PPMI) and the Global Parkinson's Genetics Program (GP2). Learn more here.

SOURCE Seal Rock Therapeutics