The award, which includes a $10,000 prize to support active research, was created to celebrate the program’s 10-year anniversary—a "Decade of Discovery"—and recognizes an investigator who exemplifies the spirit of innovation and clinical and translational research excellence in the state.
Dr. Jayasuriya is recognized for his groundbreaking work in regenerative medicine, specifically developing a novel cell-based therapy using cartilage-derived human stem cells to enhance meniscus healing. This research aims to significantly reduce the incidence of chronic osteoarthritis, a complication common after joint injuries in athletes and military personnel.
“Dr. Jayasuriya is the embodiment of what Advance RI-CTR was designed to achieve—taking an idea from the lab bench and accelerating it toward patient care,” said Dr. Sharon Rounds, Program Director of Advance RI-CTR. “His journey, which began with one of our earliest Pilot Project awards, validates a decade of strategic investment in Rhode Island's brightest minds. We are immensely proud to honor his success at the start of our next chapter.”
The initial Advance RI-CTR pilot funding received by Dr. Jayasuriya laid the critical groundwork for his subsequent success, directly leading to major external grants, including an R01 co-funded by the NIAMS and NIGMS, a Department of Defense (DoD) grant, and funding from the Orthopedics Research and Education Foundation.
Since his initial Pilot Projects award from Advance RI-CTR, Dr. Jayasuriya has:
- Founded a thriving research laboratory within the Department of Orthopaedics at Brown University.
- Founded the startup, EnkaBio Inc., to commercialize his therapeutic approach.
- Established a broad network of collaborations, including Advance RI-CTR’s Biostatistics, Epidemiology, and Research Design (BERD) Core.
- Become a national scientific leader, serving as a scientific reviewer for multiple study sections and as an Associate Editor of the Journal of Orthopedics and Connective Tissue Research.
Dr. Jayasuriya was presented with the award by Program Director and PI Dr. Sharon Rounds at the Advance RI-CTR “Decade of Discovery” celebration on Wednesday, November 6th, at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University.
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About Advance RI-CTR
Advance RI-CTR (Clinical and Translational Research) is a collaborative initiative dedicated to supporting, training, and funding clinical and translational research across Rhode Island. Our mission is to accelerate scientific discovery and improve public health outcomes by fostering a collaborative research environment among partner institutions, including Brown University, Care New England, Brown University Health, the University of Rhode Island, and the VA Providence Healthcare System. Advance RI-CTR is funded by an Institutional Development Award Networks for Clinical and Translational Research (IDeA-CTR) from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (U54GM115677) for the state of Rhode Island.