AGP Executive Report

FDA & Health Tech: The FDA approved bemotrizinol as a new over-the-counter sunscreen active ingredient—the first added since 1999—potentially unlocking more effective UV protection options in the US. Biotech & Clinical Translation: Syntax Bio (Chicago) teamed with Mayo Clinic on stem-cell derived pancreatic cell therapies for type 1 diabetes, aiming to speed regulatory-enabling work. Illinois Education & Workforce: City Colleges of Chicago’s engineering school says it’s boosting transfer outcomes with scholarships, national engineering chapter wins, and internships at NASA, Argonne, Fermilab, and more. STEM Research Spotlight: A University of Minnesota Duluth team is working to better understand neutrinos—particles that pass through nearly everything and remain poorly understood. Public Access to Research: Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias launched a statewide digital library resource program via EBSCO, giving residents free access to e-books, journals, and research databases. Energy Storage in Action: TWAICE is providing analytics to BayWa r.e. for a 282 MWh battery project in Germany, targeting better fleet performance and fewer manual troubleshooting issues. Local Tech & Community: Morgan Park Academy students are building sustainability skills through hands-on garden learning tied to classroom science.

Neutrino Research: University of Minnesota Duluth physicist Alec Habig highlights how the most abundant, least understood particles could unlock secrets of the sun, black holes, and the early universe. World Cup Politics: FIFA chief Gianni Infantino faces bipartisan skepticism ahead of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada tournament, with leaders wary of his close ties to the White House. Education Policy: A new National Council on Teacher Quality review finds teacher prep has improved for “science of reading,” but many programs still teach outdated methods and too few adequately train for struggling, English-learning, and disabled students. Illinois Tech & Health: Chicago’s VA Hines Hospital begins enrolling veterans in a psilocybin-assisted therapy trial for treatment-resistant PTSD, adding to a growing federal push for psychedelic mental-health research. Immigration Tech Workforce: A federal judge blocks Trump’s $100,000 H-1B fee as an unlawful tax, a win for tech and healthcare employers relying on skilled foreign workers. Grid Resilience: New reporting says extreme heat is shifting from a rare risk to a design baseline for U.S. power systems, stressing reliability planning. Local Data Center Fight: Lee County officials deny a data center is coming to a Nelson-area property after protests sparked by a removed listing. AI in Sports Media: ESPN pulls AI-generated “moving portraits” after backlash during NBA Finals coverage. Tech Business: Samsara settles a trade secret dispute with a former employee, tightening restrictions tied to confidential information.

Illinois Tech & Industry Wins: Illinois State University graphic communications students took first place at the Phoenix Challenge in Milwaukee, partnering with Jasper’s Java to redesign packaging and promotional graphics for flexography. Public Health & Research: UIUC researchers report rising antibiotic resistance in Shiga toxin–producing E. coli, underscoring the need for antibiotic stewardship across food and healthcare. Medical Leadership in Illinois: SIU School of Medicine named Dr. Ian Martin as new provost, dean, and CEO, bringing emergency medicine leadership from the Medical College of Wisconsin. Startup & Funding: UChicago’s Polsky Center awarded $2.1M across 10 finalists in the Edward L. Kaplan New Venture Challenge; Slideflow Labs won first place with $575K. Tech Policy & Environment: Illinois AG Kwame Raoul joined calls for more monitoring of microplastics in drinking water as EPA moves to prioritize them for research. Energy & Infrastructure: A new report warns behind-the-meter gas power for data centers could raise energy bills, as utilities and developers push for on-site generation.

FINRA Compliance Update: Sterling Trading Tech says it has fully implemented revised FINRA Rule 4210 for Lightspeed Financial, removing the Pattern Day Trader requirement and shifting to an intraday margin regime effective June 4, with a full transition deadline of Oct. 20, 2027. Aviation Tech & Sustainability: A new Allied Market Research forecast projects the global ground support equipment market will reach $14.2B by 2032, driven by airport expansion and a faster-growing electric segment as airlines push lower emissions. Cancer Research: NYU-led results presented at ASCO show a personalized cancer vaccine (intismeran) plus pembrolizumab cut melanoma recurrence risk and reduced skin cancer recurrence/death by 49% at five years. Cell Therapy Milestone: OriCell’s GPC3-targeted autologous CAR-T (Ori-C101) cleared China’s NMPA for a confirmatory Phase II trial in late-line advanced hepatocellular carcinoma. Health Misinformation Push: The AMA announced a national campaign launching later this year to rebuild trust in medicine and science. Illinois Policy: Illinois lawmakers approved a bill delaying Illinois’ direct support professional credential pilot to FY2028, and another raising agricultural bond caps via the Illinois Finance Authority. Surveillance & Privacy: A nationwide Flock Safety camera network dispute highlights how AI-powered license plate searches can collide with public concerns about government surveillance.

Biometric Privacy: A new report says Meta’s smart glasses app includes dormant facial-recognition code, raising fresh concerns after earlier Illinois biometric settlements. Cancer Care in Illinois: ASCO coverage highlights new cancer drugs and longer survival, including a pancreatic cancer treatment that doubled time for patients. GLP-1 Promises and Pitfalls: Illinois readers get a reality check on GLP-1s—ranging from cancer research interest to concerns about broader risks and misuse. Illinois Health Watch: Southern Seven Health Department warns about the expanding Lone Star tick and links it to illnesses like ehrlichiosis and alpha-gal syndrome. Tech for Computing: U. of Illinois Urbana-Champaign research points to “stacking” chips vertically to push past chip-size limits. Illinois Policy & AI: Illinois faces legal questions over a proposed social media tax, with critics warning it could target speech. Food Safety: CDC expands a Salmonella moringa outbreak tied to supplement recalls, now spanning dozens of states. Local Tech/Jobs: AI is emerging as a major real-estate tenant, reshaping office demand and raising questions about future work.

SNAP Legal Fight: A federal judge blocked the Trump administration from enforcing new conditions on billions in USDA nutrition funding, including SNAP, after states argued the rules tied aid to immigration and “gender ideology” priorities. Space & Agriculture: Illinois researchers used satellite imagery and machine learning to map Midwest tillage trends from 2000–2022, aiming to better track no-till and strip-till impacts on soil and erosion. UFO Debunked Locally: Former officials say a Lake Huron “UFO” shootdown was likely a Boy Scouts research balloon, following the fallout from the Chinese spy balloon incident. Chicago Gun Violence Response: Despite homicide levels near multi-decade lows, community groups say gun violence remains concentrated and push prevention and trauma-care funding to keep progress going. Education & Community Tech: Museum of Science and Industry will close on June 18 for the Obama Presidential Center opening, then reopen June 19 with a free Illinois day. Higher Ed Leadership: IAIA named Carin Silkaitis as provost and executive VP for academic and student affairs starting Aug. 1, 2026. Illinois Tech & STEM Talent: Northern Illinois University released its Spring 2026 Dean’s List, including engineering and arts students from across the region.

Cancer Breakthrough in Chicago: ASCO research highlighted a once-daily pancreatic cancer pill, daraxonrasib, nearly doubling survival to 13.2 months versus about 6.6–6.7 with chemotherapy, plus early results suggesting smart cancer drugs could reduce tumors across multiple cancer types. On-Body AI Tech: UChicago researchers unveiled a skin-based “compute patch” that runs AI inference directly on the body in milliseconds, aiming to cut reliance on phones and cloud processing for urgent health monitoring. GLP-1 Meets Addiction Science: A large veterans study reported GLP-1 drugs are linked to lower risk of new substance use disorders and big drops in overdoses and substance-related deaths. Illinois Micromobility Safety: Illinois lawmakers advanced a statewide framework for high-speed e-bikes and e-motos, pushing education, training, and enforcement as injuries rise. Cybercrime Warning: The FBI says Americans lost nearly $900M to AI-enabled scams in 2025, with experts warning the problem is only accelerating. Gunshot Trauma Care Impact: A Chicago South Side trauma center study tied faster access to Level 1 care with an estimated 79 lives saved per 2,000 gunshot injuries.

AI & Courts: A Florida Supreme Court rule now requires attorneys to verify that legal authorities cited in filings actually exist, after “hallucinated” AI cases. Illinois Tech Policy: Illinois is moving toward a regulatory framework for big AI firms, including independent safety audits, as federal AI guidance accelerates. Quantum Research (UChicago): Researchers at the University of Chicago report a simpler way to engineer highly entangled quantum states, aiming to make quantum devices easier to control. Cancer Breakthrough: A “smart drug” approach described at a U.S. conference targets tumors’ ability to hide from immunotherapy, with early trial results showing meaningful shrinkage in some patients. Biomedical Rigor (UIC): NIH named UIC’s Jagadeesh Ramasamy a replication-prize winner for improving rigor and reproducibility in biomedical science. Public Health Tech: Chicago Public Schools will replace the selective high school admissions test with a longer PreACT 9 Secure available only in English, raising equity concerns. Local Tech & Infrastructure: Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker paused new data center tax incentives, pushing for more discussion as lawmakers debate regulation.

Data Center Policy: Gov. JB Pritzker is pausing new Illinois tax incentives for data centers starting July 1, citing rising pressure on energy affordability and water resources after a related POWER Act effort stalled in the spring. Public Safety Tech: A noninvasive handheld optical device from Lurie Children’s Hospital (with Northwestern) shows early promise for detecting necrotizing enterocolitis in premature infants at the bedside in minutes, aiming to catch disease before x-rays show it. Health & Medicine: A large international pediatric trial finds balanced crystalloid IV fluid and 0.9% saline are equally safe and effective for septic shock. AI & Business: Newsweek reports AI search is reshaping how professional services get discovered, pushing marketers to treat AI visibility like a conversation, not just rankings. Wireless Networks: The FCC’s AWS-3 spectrum auction is starting slowly, with low early bidding across many markets, including key licenses in Chicago. Illinois Tech Watch: Illinois lawmakers also advanced a bill tightening rules around automated speed cameras and local speed-limit setting.

Illinois Tech & Health Tech: At ASCO in Chicago, Imugene reported encouraging early results for its Azer-Cel CAR-T program in blood cancers, with responses seen across CLL, marginal zone lymphoma and Waldenström macroglobulinemia. Biotech & Cancer Care: Updated SERENA-6 trial results at ASCO highlighted a precision switch to camizestrant for ESR1-mutated patients, aiming to delay more toxic treatment while preserving quality of life. Medical Lawsuits: Abbott must face a class-action over PediaSure “clinically proven” growth claims, with a judge saying labels and ads could lead consumers to believe it means height. Illinois AI Governance: Illinois named its first chief AI officer, Kader Sakkaria, to steer AI strategy and governance across state government. Local Tech Policy & Privacy: A federal judge allowed a Biometric Information Privacy Act suit against MAC Cosmetics’ virtual makeup try-on, saying face scans could identify consumers. STEM in Illinois: Northern Illinois University released its spring dean’s list, including students from engineering and other colleges. Public Safety Tech Debate: ShotSpotter’s gunfire-detection system remains a flashpoint as cities weigh faster response against cost and public safety impact. Environment & Research: The rusty patched bumblebee gained 1.5 million acres of protected critical habitat, including parts of Illinois.

Cancer Research: Revolution Medicines’ Phase 3 daraxonrasib results nearly double survival for metastatic pancreatic cancer, pushing median overall survival to 13.2 months versus 6.7 months with standard chemo. AI & Privacy: WIRED reports Meta quietly added face-recognition code (“NameTag”) to its smart-glasses app on millions of phones, raising new biometric concerns. Public Safety Tech: Wisconsin communities are dropping or tightening oversight of Flock license-plate cameras after allegations of misuse and privacy backlash. Illinois Policy: Illinois House and Senate approved Rep. Maura Hirschauer’s e-learning bill for election days, letting districts use verified programs when schools act as polling sites. STEM Education: Olney Central College opens Ignite Curiosity summer camps, including 3D printing and LEGO robotics. Agriculture: USDA confirmed New World screwworm in a Texas calf, triggering livestock alerts and market jitters. Local Health Training: Chicago’s IllinoisCOM won an AACOM grant to expand primary-care residency training in underserved communities.

AI Policy in Illinois: Illinois lawmakers have passed a landmark AI safety and consumer protection package, including rules aimed at major AI providers and new accountability for deployments. Public Sector Tech: Chicago still hasn’t named a replacement for ShotSpotter nearly a year after bids, leaving gun violence survivors and alderpersons demanding answers. Healthcare Innovation: At ASCO in Chicago, multiple studies add to the GLP-1 story—reports link the drugs (like Ozempic/Wegovy) with lower risks of several cancers, including breast cancer. Cancer Vaccines: A personalized mRNA vaccine made from a patient’s removed tumor (Intismeran) showed promising results in reducing skin cancer recurrence risk when paired with immunotherapy. Smart Devices: UIC researchers report a cuff-free smartwatch approach that estimates blood pressure using wrist signals plus AI. Energy & Grid Reliability: ELM MicroGrid installed battery storage for a Peoria solar microgrid to help manage power and reduce grid stress. Tech Leadership: Illinois’ innovation and health IT chiefs earned national StateScoop awards for modernizing state technology.

Illinois Tech & Business: Chicago-area IT firm Computerease landed on the Inc. 5000 list, highlighting sustained growth since 1984 and a focus on cybersecurity and operations for small and mid-sized businesses. Cancer Research (ASCO, Chicago): New real-world and trial findings keep stacking up: GLP-1 drugs are linked to lower breast cancer risk and better survival in large cohorts, while ASCO presentations reinforce sacituzumab govitecan plus pembrolizumab as a stronger first-line option for PD-L1+ metastatic triple-negative breast cancer. Antibiotics Breakthrough: McMaster researchers reported manikomycin, a new antibiotic candidate that targets a previously unknown ribosome vulnerability to kill drug-resistant bacteria. Health Tech & Care: UChicago Medicine surgeons reported a rare quadruple organ transplant case in Illinois—simultaneous bilateral lung, liver, and kidney transplantation for a patient with advanced cystic fibrosis. AI in Medicine Training: A survey at ASCO found hem/onc fellows use AI tools but most lack formal training, raising concerns about inconsistent and unsafe use. Construction & Proptech: Autodesk agreed to acquire MaintainX for about $3.6B to expand into building maintenance and operations. Local Policy & Housing: Batavia approved a $1M TIF incentive for a proposed 72-unit affordable housing development. Education & STEM: Illinois College’s orchid conservation collaboration won gold again at the Chelsea Flower Show, tying plant research to global conservation partners. Sports Tech Crossover: Kevin Magnussen is set for a NASCAR Cup Series debut at Naval Base Coronado as part of Trackhouse’s Project 91.

Cancer Research in Chicago: New ASCO updates highlight multiple oncology advances, including Percheron Therapeutics’ HMBD-002 preclinical work pointing to VISTA as a possible driver of triple-negative breast cancer resistance, and phase 3 ASCENT-04 data showing sacituzumab govitecan plus pembrolizumab improves longer-term PFS2 versus chemo plus pembrolizumab in PD-L1+ mTNBC. Targeted Radioligand Therapy: UroToday reports on CONVERGE-01 Part 3 testing Ac-225 rosopatamab tetraxetan (CONV01-α) in PSMA-pretreated metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer, emphasizing tumor uptake and reduced salivary/kidney uptake. Illinois Courts & Public Safety Tech: Illinois lawmakers passed a bill requiring pretrial service agencies to send three court-date reminder texts to people on pretrial release, with funding for counties that need to catch up. Cybersecurity & Insurance: A Chicago CEO warns that cyber insurance claims are often denied when MFA isn’t fully enforced, citing NAIC and industry claim statistics. Opioid Crisis Watch: A report flags “orphines,” synthetic opioids described as far more potent than fentanyl, as a growing street threat. Environment & Infrastructure: A stormwater improvement project is set to begin on West Illinois Street in Kirksville, with a multi-week closure expected.

Cancer Research in Chicago: ASCO in Chicago featured long-term results for a personalized Moderna mRNA vaccine plus Keytruda, cutting melanoma distant spread risk by 59% over five years, and a phase 1/2b pipeline highlight for gamitrinib targeting cancer mitochondria. Pancreatic Breakthrough: A new RAS-targeting pill, daraxonrasib, drew major attention after late-stage data showed nearly doubled survival in previously treated metastatic pancreatic cancer. Bladder Cancer Without Major Surgery: A durvalumab-based combo with chemo and radiation reduced recurrence and helped patients avoid bladder-removal surgery in a trial presented at ASCO. Illinois Tech & Policy: Illinois lawmakers approved a “bell-to-bell” cellphone ban in K-12 schools, with the state board tasked to publish a template by Sept. 1. AI in Health Insurance: Minnesota advanced a bill requiring physician review for AI-only prior authorization denials. Environment & Tech: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service designated 1.5 million acres of critical habitat for the rusty patched bumble bee across multiple Midwest states, including Chicago-area counties. Local STEM/Community: Richland Community College and the Children’s Museum of Illinois are building a teaching kitchen to connect kids with culinary, nutrition, science, and career pathways.

Illinois AI & data-center policy: Illinois lawmakers say the POWER Act data-center regulation bill won’t be ready this spring, with more hearings and possible fall action after summer negotiations. Workplace tech & health: Tempus says its first whole-genome sequencing blood/bone-marrow assay, xH, is moving toward clinical availability, aiming to find actionable cancer targets. Cancer research (Chicago): The University of Chicago renews a major NCI grant to keep leading the NRG Oncology Statistics and Data Management Center. Cancer research (ASCO): Moderna and Merck report 5-year follow-up results for intismeran autogene plus KEYTRUDA in high-risk melanoma, while multiple other ASCO updates highlight new drug combinations and longer survival signals. Local AI infrastructure: OpenAI CEO Sam Altman calls a Saline Township data-center project a “template” for community engagement, citing energy and water concerns. Illinois education policy: Illinois passes a statewide cellphone ban for public schools, with an implementation timeline set by lawmakers. Biosecurity & bias: A University of Chicago study finds clinicians use more negative descriptors in EHR notes for sickle cell patients, with opioid use emerging as a key factor.