Regardless of the type of parameter(s) used to quantify the TCR–pMHC binding interaction, data emanating from engineered TCR-variant panels (Table 1) or altered peptide ligand models (Table 2) have provided strong evidence, in the context of self/tumor-specific immune responses, that the functionality of CD8 T cells can be tailored by the TCR–pMHC affinity/avidity. Here, CD8A is linked to neoplasm.