ASGCT and Orphan Therapeutics Accelerator Launch “CGTxchange” to Rescue Hundreds of Shelved Gene and Cell Therapies

MILWAUKEE and CAMBRIDGE, Mass.January 7, 2026 — The American Society of Gene & Cell Therapy (ASGCT) and the Orphan Therapeutics Accelerator (OTXL) today announced a landmark joint venture called CGTxchange. This first-of-its-kind marketplace and clearinghouse is designed to breathe life back into hundreds of “deprioritized” cell and gene therapies (CGTs) that have been stalled by major biopharma sponsors due to economic and policy shifts.

Addressing the “Commercialization Gap”

The CGT field currently faces a crisis where therapies showing clear clinical benefits in trials are being halted because they are no longer considered commercially viable by traditional industry standards. CGTxchange aims to bridge this gap by matching these shelved assets with mission-aligned investors, non-profits, and academic institutions.

“We have observed that a host of therapies are being set aside not because they lack clinical merit, but rather due to the challenges of commercialization,” said David Barrett, CEO of ASGCT. “We are creating an entirely new way to ensure these CGTs find their way to organizations ready to take on the challenges of development so patients may ultimately benefit.”

AI-Powered Matching for Ultra-Rare Diseases

The venture will utilize OTXL’s proprietary AI-based platform to:

• Identify and Analyze: Input shelved assets into a secure database to generate risk-based assessments.

• Profile: Create listings of high-quality, clinical-stage programs.

• Match: Connect assets with partners whose return expectations and timelines align with the unique needs of ultra-rare disease therapies.

“Typical venture capital expectations are set well above what most CGTs for ultra-rare diseases can meet,” explained Craig Martin, CEO of OTXL. “Yet many of these therapies can still offer meaningful returns and tremendous benefits to patients.”

A Community-Wide Effort

ASGCT will leverage its global network of more than 60 countries to engage experts, donors, and investors, while OTXL provides the technological infrastructure. The organizations plan to begin development of the platform immediately, with a targeted launch and rollout in mid-2026.