Meet Gabriella Rothberg, the 17-year-old Miami student who began with a sandwich idea at 15 and became co-inventor on a US patent for genetically engineered tomatoes designed to produce meat-linked heme

Gabriella hopes the technology could make vegetables taste like meat (AI-enhanced photo: Instagram/Incubate Debate)

A sandwich Gabriella Rothberg was making for her father when she was 15 led to an unusual question: Could a tomato be made to taste like meat? Two years later, the 17-year-old student from Miami is listed as a co-inventor on a US patent for genetically engineered tomatoes designed to produce heme, an iron-containing molecule associated with the flavour of meat.Gabriella, a senior at Ransom Everglades School in Coconut Grove, worked on the project with her father, biotechnology entrepreneur Jonathan Rothberg. The two are named as inventors on US Patent No. 12,668,806, issued in June this year. According to the report by Biscayne Bay Beacon, the patent has been assigned to Impossible Vines Inc.The idea behind the project is to develop tomatoes that produce heme, which contributes to the characteristic flavour of meat. Gabriella hopes the technology could eventually make vegetables taste more like meat without requiring them to be processed into conventional plant-based meat substitutes.However, the project is still experimental. The genetically engineered tomatoes have not undergone taste testing or entered commercial production. Researchers have also not established whether they can deliver the intended flavour or nutritional benefits. The patent protects the described technology but does not establish that the tomatoes are ready for consumption.

How a sandwich idea became a biotechnology project

Gabriella began thinking about the project at 15 while preparing a sandwich for her father. She wondered whether it would be possible to change the flavour of a vegetable itself rather than process vegetables into products designed to resemble meat. That question eventually developed into a biotechnology project called Impossible Vines.Speaking to Miami New Times, Gabriella explained what she hoped the technology could achieve. “So you’ll bite into a tomato, and it’ll taste like a hamburger,” she said.To explore the idea, Gabriella worked with Maddison Marshall, a doctoral candidate at the University of Miami. Together, they used a bacterium called Agrobacterium to introduce genetic material into tomato plant cells.Agrobacterium is used in plant genetic engineering because it can transfer genetic material into plant cells. In this project, the researchers used it to work towards developing tomatoes capable of producing heme.Heme is an iron-containing molecule associated with the flavour of meat. The researchers’ aim is to enable tomato plants to produce it through genetic modification.The patent also describes methods for changing other characteristics of plants, including their lycopene content and seed production. Lycopene is a naturally occurring pigment that gives tomatoes their red colour.

Researchers faced problems growing the modified plants

Gabriella and Marshall also faced difficulties during the early stages of their research. For several months, the plants did not develop as expected. The researchers then consulted scientists at the University of Miami to understand what was preventing growth.They eventually discovered that the vitamin concentration in the growth medium was incorrect. The growth medium is the material used to provide plant cells with the nutrients needed to develop under laboratory conditions. After adjusting the formula, the researchers began seeing plant growth within weeks.Gabriella also reported using artificial intelligence during different stages of the project. She used AI tools to help design genetic constructs, prepare patent materials and develop a business plan.

Gabriella comes from a family of biotechnology researchers

Gabriella’s interest in science developed in a family with a background in biotechnology and medical research. Her father, Jonathan Rothberg, is a biotechnology entrepreneur who helped pioneer next-generation DNA sequencing. He had received the National Medal of Technology and Innovation from former US President Barack Obama in 2016. Her mother, Bonnie Gould Rothberg, is a cancer researcher at the University of Miami.Gabriella says that scientific discussions were common at home. Family conversations often included subjects such as evolution, astronomy and physics. The patent also lists Gabriella alongside her father as an inventor.

Could the tomatoes also help address iron deficiency?

Beyond developing tomatoes with a meat-like flavour, Gabriella hopes the technology could eventually help improve access to dietary iron.She has suggested that vegetables containing additional iron could be useful in regions where meat is expensive or difficult to obtain.Gabriella also identified pregnant women in developing countries as one group that could potentially benefit from iron-enriched vegetables.