Robert Kapsa is the inaugural Professor of Biofabrication and Tissue Engineering at RMIT University and Head of Research (Neurosciences) at St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne (SVHM). A biochemist and molecular biologist, he specialises in regenerative cell and gene therapies for muscle and nerve disorders, with a particular focus on neuromuscular disease. Between 1998–2005, he pioneered gene-editing technologies that achieved the first correction of the Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) mutation in humans and the mdx mouse model.

Guided by mentors, Prof Ed Byrne (neuromuscular disorders), Prof Graeme Clark (electrophysiology and materials science), and Prof Wayne Morrison (tissue engineering), Kapsa helped establish Australia’s first genetic diagnostic facility for mitochondrial disorders, co-founded Bionic Technologies Australia (later spawning Polyactiva), and advanced biodegradable implants for tissue engineering.

At RMIT, Prof Kapsa continues to lead world-class biofabrication and tissue engineering, driving flagship programs within the Aikenhead Centre for Medical Discovery (ACMD) at SVHM.