Management Bios
Ph.D., VP, Product Development and Project Management
Dr. Joseph Rininger is a biopharmaceutical development leader with more than 18 years of experience spanning basic biomedical research, recombinant vaccine development, CMC strategy, and cross-functional program execution from preclinical stages through clinical readiness.
Prior to joining CaroGen in 2015, Dr. Rininger served as Program Manager for the advanced development and commercialization of Flublok, a recombinant hemagglutinin-based influenza vaccine developed under a $147 million U.S. government contract at Protein Sciences Corporation. In this role, he led multidisciplinary teams across process development, formulation and stability, preclinical toxicology, quality control, facility and process validation, manufacturing transfer, regulatory affairs, and clinical program coordination—gaining rare end-to-end experience in recombinant biologics development at commercial scale.
Dr. Rininger also served as Director of Business Development at Protein Sciences, where he established and directed the CMC, manufacturing, and regulatory strategies for four recombinant programs advancing into clinical trials. His experience uniquely bridges scientific development, operational execution, and business strategy in complex biologics programs.
At CaroGen since 2015, Dr. Rininger has served as Vice President of Program Management and Preclinical Development, overseeing IND-enabling studies, CMC coordination, CRO management, and translational planning for the AVIDIO™ VLV platform and CARG-2020 program. He plays a central role in aligning preclinical science, manufacturing readiness, and regulatory documentation to ensure efficient progression toward clinical development.
Dr. Rininger graduated with honors in Biology from Fairleigh Dickinson University and earned his PhD in Toxicology from Cornell University. He is recognized for his disciplined program leadership, deep technical understanding of recombinant biologics, and ability to translate complex development pathways into executable clinical strategies.
