In the quickly changing field of synthetic biology, where scientists are rewriting the building blocks of life to solve the biggest problems facing humanity, one name stands out as both an innovator and a leader: Emily LeProust. LeProust has been changing the way scientists “write” genetic code for more than ten years as the CEO and co-founder of Twist Bioscience, a NASDAQ-listed DNA synthesis company. Her goal of making high-quality synthetic DNA easy to get, scalable, and cheap has led to big advances in medicine, farming, and other fields. Today, with Twist making more money than ever and growing its business, LeProust’s journey from a chemistry lab in France to the top of a biotech giant shows how powerful bold scientific entrepreneurship can be.
From French Origins to American Creativity
Emily LeProust was born in France and had a love for science from a young age. She got her M.Sc. in Industrial Chemistry from the Lyon School of Industrial Chemistry in 1995. This helped her get better at chemical processes that would later be important for her work on DNA. In 2001, she crossed the Atlantic to study for a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry and Nucleic Acids Chemistry at the University of Houston, where she was mentored by Dr. Xiaolian Gao. She studied DNA and RNA parallel synthesis on solid supports there. This method would later become commercial platforms at Xeotron Corporation.
LeProust’s rise in genomics began with her early work at Agilent Technologies. She started out in entry-level jobs and worked her way up to Director of Applications and Chemistry R&D—Genomics. What is her greatest accomplishment? Architecting the SureSelect product line, which changed the game by cutting sequencing costs and revealing the genetic causes of dozens of Mendelian diseases. She also came up with Oligo Library Synthesis, which led to product development and the writing of more than 30 peer-reviewed papers on synthetic DNA applications, many of which are still important in the field today. LeProust wasn’t just making progress in science; she was also creating the intellectual property that would lead to a revolution.
But there are limits to how far visionaries can climb the corporate ladder. LeProust co-founded Twist Bioscience with Bill Banyai and Bill Peck in 2013 because he was tired of how slow, expensive, and low-throughput traditional DNA synthesis was. What a crazy idea they had! To make genes at an unprecedented scale, miniaturize DNA production on silicon chips, like how semiconductor manufacturing works. LeProust later said, “We thought synthetic DNA would be key to solving the world’s biggest problems.”
Twist Bioscience: Changing the DNA Code
LeProust has changed the way DNA is made at Twist. The company’s platform makes custom DNA faster and cheaper than ever before. This lets them make everything from insulin in yeast to therapies that fight malaria and even spider silk on an industrial scale. Twist went public in 2018, and today it is a mid-cap biotech leader with a market cap of more than $1.9 billion.
The effect is very strong. Twist’s tools are used in medicine for gene therapies, antibody discovery, and diagnostics. Twist’s Biopharma division, which started in 2017, has sped up drug development for partners all over the world. Engineered crops help agriculture stay strong, and bio-based chemicals are replacing fossil fuels in industry. DNA’s density makes it a futuristic archive, and Twist is looking into how it could be used for data storage.
LeProust’s new ideas also include security. Twist was one of the first people to push for strict screening of dual-use research. She did this in response to calls for more federal oversight in synthetic biology. In 2021, she took part in a Munich Security Conference simulation on bioterrorism, which showed how much she cares about responsible innovation.
Not every path was easy. In 2016, Agilent sued Twist for stealing trade secrets. The case took four years to settle, and Twist had to pay Agilent $22.5 million. And in 2022, a harsh report from short-seller Scorpion Capital accused Twist of fraud, which led to a class-action lawsuit over revenue projections. LeProust has always stood up for her company’s honesty, using audited financials and customer trust as proof.
A Guide for Women in STEM
LeProust’s rise hasn’t been easy, especially since she works in a male-dominated field like biotech. One venture capitalist told Twist’s team during her early fundraising that they needed a “male CEO with gray hair.” She didn’t give up and closed the “ambition gap” by hiring people “better than me” and making sure that all teams were welcoming.
You can see her support clearly. She is a co-founder of Petri, an accelerator that combines engineering and biology, and an advisor to NFX Bio. She is also a mentor to the next generation. She is a member of the Board of GeneDx and supports vaccine science. Recently, she helped Columbia epidemiologist W. Ian Lipkin debunk false information.
Awards show how much she matters: Foreign Policy’s 100 Leading Global Thinkers (2015), Fast Company’s Most Creative People in Business (2015), and BIO’s Rosalind Franklin Award for Leadership (2020). At the University of Houston, she is known as a “top female executive,” and her school is very proud of her.
2025: Things Start to Happen
This year has been a big deal for Twist and LeProust. Revenues for the fourth quarter of the fiscal year reached $99 million, bringing the total for the year to $376.6 million. This was a 19-21% increase from the previous year, with gross margins over 50%. Disciplined cost management kept operating costs the same since 2022, even though sales went up by 85%.
There are a lot of new things: In 2025, Twist released the Oncology DNA Comprehensive Genomic Profiling Panel, a customizable NGS tool that breaks down “one-size-fits-all” barriers in precision medicine. Collaborations, such as those with Synthetic Design Lab, use Twist’s high-throughput screening to find new drugs.
LeProust is still visible. She spoke at the Baird 2025 Global Healthcare Conference in September and is getting ready for Wolfe Research’s event on November 17, which is just a few days away. On X, where she has more than 14,000 followers, she talks about her Wordle wins, marks the anniversary of Twist’s IPO, and teases talks at SynBioBeta 2024 about DNA’s “saga.”
Routine stock sales for tax purposes are still going on, with $986,556 in late October alone. However, she still owns a lot of shares, more than 662,000.
The Future: So Many Options
LeProust sees a “biological revolution” in the future, when DNA synthesis makes new ideas available to everyone. Twist is in a good position to lead because it is opening new factories in Oregon and China and hiring 283 people during tough times. “DNA is powering unlimited possibilities,” she said at AIChE’s SEED Conference.
Emily LeProust isn’t just making DNA; she’s writing the next chapter in the story of human progress. In a field full of hype, she is a force because she combines strict science, moral foresight, and an unbreakable drive. As Twist speeds up, so does the world she’s helping to change, one gene at a time.
