EXHIBIT 99.1

XORTX to Present at H. C. Wainwright Global Investment Conference 2022

CALGARY, Alberta, May 25, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- XORTX Therapeutics Inc. ("XORTX" or the “Company”) (NASDAQ: XRTX | TSXV: XRTX | Frankfurt: ANU), a clinical stage pharmaceutical company focused on developing innovative therapies to treat progressive kidney disease, is pleased to announce its participation in the H. C. Wainwright Global Investment Conference 2022, a hybrid in-person/ virtual conference being held May 23^rd through 26^th, 2022. Dr. Allen Davidoff, XORTX’s CEO, provided an update on the Company with an overview of the Company’s progress and planned activities.

A webcast of the presentation is available at the below link:

https://journey.ct.events/view/8bbb25a4-46c0-4ef2-8802-046a24a5f5f8

Dr. Allen Davidoff, CEO of XORTX stated, “We are pleased that XORTX was invited to present at the H. C. Wainwright Global Investment Conference 2022 meeting. This presentation represents an opportunity to continue outreach to a broad spectrum of global investors and potential pharmaceutical company partners.”

About XORTX Therapeutics Inc.

XORTX Therapeutics Inc. is a pharmaceutical company with two clinically advanced products in development – XRx-008 for Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease (ADPKD), XRx-101 for acute kidney and other acute organ injury associated with Coronavirus / COVID-19 infection and XRx-225 is a pre-clinical stage program for Type 2 Diabetic Nephropathy (T2DN). XORTX is working to advance its clinical development stage products that target aberrant purine metabolism and xanthine oxidase to decrease or inhibit production of uric acid. At XORTX Therapeutics, we are dedicated to developing medications to improve the quality of life and future health of patients. Additional information on XORTX Therapeutics is available at www.xortx.com.

The TSX Venture Exchange and Nasdaq have neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this news release. No stock exchange, securities commission or other regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the information contained herein.

Forward Looking Statements

This press release may contain express or implied forward-looking statements pursuant to Canadian and U.S. Federal securities laws. These forward-looking statements and their implications are based on the current reasonable expectations of the management of XORTX only, and are subject to a number of factors and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in such forward-looking statements. Except as otherwise required by law, XORTX undertakes no obligation to publicly release any revisions or updates to these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. More detailed information about the risks and uncertainties affecting XORTX is contained in the Company’s most recently filed Annual Information Form and the Management Discussion and Analysis for its most recent financial reporting period filed on the Company’s SEDAR profile (www.sedar.com) and under the heading “Risk Factors” in XORTX’s Registration Statement on Form F-1 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) available on the SEC's website, www.sec.gov.