Patent ID: 8796443

Claim:
An isolated double stranded nucleic acid molecule comprising a guide strand and a passenger strand, wherein the isolated double stranded nucleic acid molecule includes a double stranded region and a single stranded region, wherein the double stranded region is from 8-15 nucleotides long, wherein the single stranded region is at the 3′ end of the guide strand and is 4-12 nucleotides long, wherein the single stranded region contains 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 or 12 phosphorothioate modifications, wherein at least 40% of the nucleotides of the isolated double stranded nucleic acid molecule are modified, wherein a hydrophobic conjugate is attached to the isolated double stranded nucleic acid molecule, and wherein the isolated double stranded nucleic acid molecule does not form a hairpin.