design and structure of a peptide-centric TCR mimic binding module.

T cell receptor (TCR) mimics offer a promising platform for tumor-specific targeting of peptide-MHC in cancer immunotherapy. Here, we designed a α-helical TCR mimic (TCRm) specific for the NY-ESO-1 peptide presented by HLA-A02, achieving high on-target specificity with nanomolar affinity (K = 9.5 nM). The structure of the TCRm/pMHC complex at 2.05 Å resolution revealed a rigid TCR-like docking mode with an unusual degree of focus on the up-facing NY-ESO-1 side chains, suggesting the potential for reduced off-target reactivity. Indeed, a structure-informed screen of 14,363 HLA-A02 peptides correctly predicted two off-target peptides, yet our TCRm maintained a wide therapeutic window as a T cell engager. These results represent a path for precision targeting of tumor antigens with peptide-focused α-helical TCR mimics.