Seal Rock Therapeutics to Present Data on SRT-015 for Rare Pediatric Liver Disease in Oral and Poster of Distinction Presentations at The Liver Meeting® 2026

Preclinical studies demonstrate 100% survival and sustained bile flow in an experimental model of biliary atresia following treatment with SRT-015

SEATTLE, Nov. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Seal Rock Therapeutics, Inc., a clinical-stage company developing inhibitors of pathological cellular stress signaling, today announced that preclinical research evaluating SRT-015 for biliary atresia, a rare and life-threatening pediatric liver disease, will be featured in an oral presentation and a poster of distinction at the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) The Liver Meeting® 2026, taking place November 5-9 in Denver, Colorado. This work was performed under the leadership of Dr. Pranavkumar Shivakumar at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX in collaboration with Seal Rock Therapeutics.

In a neonatal mouse model of biliary atresia, treatment with the clinical stage, second generation ASK1 inhibitor SRT-015 resulted in 100% survival, compared with 12% in vehicle-treated control animals. SRT-015 also preserved sustained bile flow in 100% of treated animals, compared with 0% of controls. Additional findings demonstrated that SRT-015 prevented bile duct inflammation and obstruction and significantly reduced liver injury, inflammation and fibrosis.

"These presentations provide compelling preclinical evidence of SRT-015's potential to address the underlying injury cascade in biliary atresia, including the preservation of bile flow and the prevention of inflammation and fibrosis," said Neil McDonnell, Chief Executive Officer, Seal Rock Therapeutics. "Together with our findings in other liver disease models, this research reinforces our belief in the potential of SRT-015 as a therapeutic approach across a range of serious liver diseases."

"Biliary atresia represents a significant unmet medical need, with no approved drug therapies to prevent progressive liver injury following surgery and many children ultimately requiring liver transplantation," said Kathleen Elias, PhD, Vice President Research and Translational Medicine and co-founder, Seal Rock Therapeutics. "These preclinical findings support the further advancement of SRT-015 into clinical evaluation."

The research was funded by a Small Business Technology Transfer grant from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. 

Presentation Details

Oral Presentation

A phase 2-ready ASK1 inhibitor suppresses post-obstructive cholestatic inflammation and fibrosis in experimental biliary atresia

Presenter: Pranavkumar Shivakumar, PhD, FAASLD University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and Children's Medical Center,

Presentation Date/Time: Saturday, November 7, 2026, 2:00-2:15 p.m. MT

Poster Presentation

Preclinical efficacy of a phase 2-ready ASK1 inhibitor, SRT-015, to treat biliary atresia

Presenter: Reena Mourya, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and Children's Medical Center

Presentation Date/Time: Friday, November 6, 2026, 1:00-2:00 p.m., MT

About Seal Rock Therapeutics

Seal Rock Therapeutics is a privately held, clinical stage company focused on developing first-in-class treatments for severe diseases with limited or no available therapies. 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 dual ASK1-LRRK2 inhibitors (DALIs) for neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's disease and ALS.

For more information, visit www.sealrocktx.com.

SOURCE Seal Rock Therapeutics, Inc.