Patent ID: 8188263

Claim:
A modified siRNA comprising a double-stranded region of about 15 to about 30 nucleotides in length, wherein from 15% to about 30% of the nucleotides in the double-stranded region comprise 2′-O-methyl (2′OMe) nucleotides, wherein the modified siRNA comprises 2′OMe nucleotides in both strands of the modified siRNA, wherein the modified siRNA comprises 2′OMe nucleotides selected from the group consisting of 2′OMe-guanosine nucleotides, 2′OMe-uridine nucleotides, 2′OMe-adenosine nucleotides, and mixtures thereof, wherein the modified siRNA does not comprise 2′OMe-cytosine nucleotides in the double-stranded region, wherein the modified siRNA is less immunostimulatory than a corresponding unmodified siRNA sequence, and wherein the modified siRNA is capable of silencing expression of a target sequence.