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
November 5, 2026, Seattle, WA –
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, please visit www.sealrocktx.com
Contact
Julie Rathbun
Rathbun
Communications
Julie@rathbuncomm.com
206-769-9219