David Woodburn, CEO of Edison Agrosciences, views sunflowers as hope for the future. The St. Louis-based biotechnology company produced its first sheet of natural rubber from sunflower leaves. The sunflowers were grown in a lab. Edison used gene editing technology to increase a sunflower’s natural rubber production for extraction. Woodburn said an alternative source of natural rubber is important because 90% of the world’s natural rubber comes from one geographic area –Southeast Asia. Creating self-reliance for natural rubber appeals to the U.S. Department of Defense. Edison received nearly $2 million in federal grant funding from the DOD to develop sunflower as a production system for natural rubber used in defense and civilian aviation.

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