A synthetic polypeptide vaccine is employed for directed targeting of an individuals immune response to an antigen of interest. The synthetic polypeptide contains a carrier epitope specific for open conformers of an individuals MHC-I molecules in the presence of HLA-F, and also contains an effector epitope which elicits an immune response to the antigen of interest. The effect- or epitope may modulates an immune response to a tumor, pathogen, or autoantigen associated with an autoimmune disorder. The present vaccine exploits a role for the interaction between HLA-F and open conformers of MHC-I in the uptake of extracellular antigen for cross presentation.
