Discovery and Development Of HLA-E-Binding Peptides to Activate Natural Killer Cells

This disclosure relates to synthetic peptides, peptidomimetics, and complexes of synthetic peptides and peptidomimetics with HLA-E, methods of making such peptides, peptidomimetics, and complexes, and methods of using such peptides, peptidomimetics and complexes for blocking, inhibiting, or preventing the interaction of HLA-E with CD94/NKG2A or activation of CD94/NKG2A by HLA-E. The synthetic peptides, peptidomimetics, and complexes of synthetic peptides and peptidomimetics with HLA-E can further comprise warheads to introduce covalent linkages between the synthetic peptides and peptidomimetics with HLA-E.