ASGCT and Orphan Therapeutics Accelerator Launch CGTxchange -- A First-of-Its-Kind Marketplace to Reactivate Promising Shelved Cell and Gene Therapy Programs
PR Newswire
BOSTON, May 14, 2026
ASGCT–OTXL joint venture platform goes live with demo at ASGCT 2026 Annual Meeting and applications opening this month for qualified Asset listings
BOSTON, May 14, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Society of Gene & Cell Therapy (ASGCT) and Orphan Therapeutics Accelerator (OTXL) today announced the public launch of CGTxchange, an AI-enhanced clearinghouse and marketplace built to help reactivate cell and gene therapy programs that have been shelved despite strong scientific and clinical evidence. CGTxchange — a joint venture between ASGCT and OTXL — is now live, with initial pilot assets onboarded, and applications opening this month for sponsors who wish to list shelved programs.
The platform is being demonstrated live during the ASGCT 2026 Annual Meeting in Boston, co-presented by Terry Flotte, MD of UMass Chan Medical School and President of ASGCT, and Craig Martin, CEO and Co-founder of OTXL, during the education symposium, CGTxchange: Matching deprioritized rare disease cell and gene therapies to new sponsors.
In a 2025 commentary, former FDA principal deputy commissioner Janet Woodcock noted that more than 1,000 preclinical and clinical programs have been shelved in recent years, citing economic and regulatory factors over scientific ones. OTXL has identified and independently evaluated more than 80 shelved rare disease assets — IND-ready, first-in-human, or later — over just the last two years, providing strong evidence that the true number of stalled programs runs at least into the hundreds.
"The cell and gene therapy field has built an extraordinary base of clinical evidence, and yet too many of those programs sit on the shelf for reasons that have nothing to do with the science," said Dr. Terry Flotte, President, ASGCT. "CGTxchange gives our community a structured way to bring those programs back into view, and to connect them with the partners and funders who can help reactivate them."
CGTxchange is designed as the structured, ecosystem-level response to that gap: a two-sided marketplace where shelved cell and gene therapy assets can be discovered by funders, sponsors, and partners actively seeking opportunities to advance scientifically validated programs through alternative development and financing models.
"We are bringing forward promising, under-valued and potential high-impact assets through a platform designed to be accessible to a broad array of investors," said Craig Martin, CEO and Co-founder, Orphan Therapeutics Accelerator. "These are assets with a strong chance of successful development and approval, and just as important, can provide meaningful clinical impact in disease areas of high unmet need while still delivering significant value back to funders and partners who step in to move them forward."
Pilot Phase With Early Sponsor Partners
In the run-up to launch, ASGCT and OTXL worked with a small number of sponsor partners to pilot the platform and onboarding process. Those engagements informed the design of the asset listing workflow, the AI-enabled diligence package, and the marketplace experience now available to all approved users.
Applications Open This Month — Limited Discount for Initial Listings
Following ASGCT 2026, CGTxchange will open more broadly for asset listing applications. To date, ASGCT and OTXL have engaged directly with a select group of sponsors as the initial user base. Applications will now be available to a wider universe of academic institutions, biotech companies, non-profit developers, and other parties holding shelved cell and gene therapy programs.
As part of the broader opening, up to 10 of the initial listings will be eligible for discounted onboarding. Sponsors interested in listing an asset, and investors, partners, or funders interested in becoming approved users of the marketplace, can learn more at ASGCT 2026 or by contacting the team directly.
About CGTxchange
CGTxchange is an AI-enhanced clearinghouse and marketplace for shelved and commercially pre-viable cell and gene therapy assets, operated as a joint venture between the American Society of Gene & Cell Therapy (ASGCT) and Orphan Therapeutics Accelerator (OTXL). The platform is designed to help sponsors, funders, investors, and partners discover, evaluate, and reactivate shelved cell and gene therapy programs with demonstrated clinical promise, supporting renewed development, diverse sponsorship models, and ultimately accelerated patient access. For more information, visit: https://www.cgtxchange.com/
About the American Society of Gene & Cell Therapy (ASGCT)
The American Society of Gene & Cell Therapy (ASGCT) is the premier professional organization for scientists, physicians, and patient advocates working to advance the understanding, development, and application of genetic and cellular therapies. With members in more than 60 countries worldwide, ASGCT is committed to the alleviation of human disease through its extensive educational offerings, active engagement in public policy, and a wide array of support resources. For more information, visit: https://www.asgct.org/
About Orphan Therapeutics Accelerator (OTXL)
The Orphan Therapeutics Accelerator (OTXL) is a non-profit biotech focused on obtaining, completing development, and enabling commercial access to promising clinical-stage therapies for ultra-rare conditions that have been shelved for financial or strategic reasons. OTXL utilizes alternative development and financing models to advance programs efficiently and sustainably, with proceeds reinvested to support additional rare disease therapies. Read more at: https://www.orphantxl.com/
Media Contacts
FINN Partners for Orphan Therapeutics Accelerator
Nicole Grubner
nicole.grubner@finnpartners.com
ASGCT
Sarah Kikkert, Director of Communications
American Society of Gene & Cell Therapy
skikkert@asgct.org
View original content:SOURCE Orphan Therapeutics Accelerator (OTXL) and The American Society of Gene & Cell Therapy (ASGCT)
