Patent ID: 8796420

Claim:
A non-natural, monomeric, soluble, mammalian MHC class I chain-related (MIC) molecule comprising an α1-α2 platform domain attached to a targeting motif, wherein the α1-α2 platform domain is at least 80% identical to a native α1-α2 platform domain of a MIC protein, and wherein the α1-α2 platform domain binds an NKG2D receptor, and wherein the targeting motif comprises a MIC α3 domain and one or more heterologous peptides, wherein the heterologous peptide or peptides are inserted into the MIC α3 domain within one or more sites in a solvent-exposed loop at a non-carboxy-terminal site, and wherein the heterologous peptide or peptides direct the binding of the targeting motif to one or more target molecules on one or more target cells, thereby delivering the attached α1-α2 platform domain to the target cell.