Vivere Oncotherapies, a Berkeley, CA‑based company developing cancer therapies that activate the immune system, raised over $10 million in funding.

Backers included YK Bioventures, Pillar, Berkeley Frontier Fund, Freeflow Ventures, and The National Cancer Institute.

The company intends to use the funds to expand operations and its development efforts.

Led by CEO Melissa Kotterman, Vivere develops cancer therapies that activate the immune system to detect and selectively destroy cancer cells in tumors that otherwise remain hidden to the body’s natural defenses. Its name Vivere (pronounced VEE‑veh‑ray) means “to live” and reflects the mission to develop life‑saving treatments for patients by applying engineering approaches to solve complex human‑biology challenges. Leveraging technology developed at UC Berkeley, the company uses a proprietary bioengineering platform to design cancer‑fighting therapies that reach tumors and deliver new treatments.