Patent ID: 8090542

Claim:
A method for obtaining an siRNA molecule for a target gene, wherein said siRNA molecule comprises a sense region that is 19-30 nucleotide bases in length and the sense region comprises a sense sequence that is 19 nucleotide bases in length, said method comprising the steps: (a) selecting a target gene; (b) identifying a set of candidate siRNA sequences wherein each candidate siRNA sequence comprises a sense sequence that is at least 90% similar to a region of the target gene; (c) applying to each of said candidate siRNA sequences a computer algorithm, wherein said computer algorithm comprises a set of one or more criteria selected from the group consisting of a presence of A at position 19 of the sense sequence, a presence of A at position 3 of the sense sequence, a presence of U at position 10 of the sense sequence, a presence of A at position 14 of the sense sequence, an absence of G at position 13 of the sense sequence, an absence of U at position 5 of the sense sequence and an absence of A at position 11 of the sense sequence, wherein said sense sequence occupies positions 1-19 of a sense region that is 19-30 bases in length and wherein when said candidate siRNA sequence is 20-30 bases in length, bases that are within the sense region that are not within said sense sequence occupy positions − 1 to − 11 of the sense region and positions − 1 to − 11 of the sense region are immediately 5′ of the 5′ end of the sense sequence; (d) after step (c) selecting a candidate siRNA sequence from the set of candidate siRNA sequences of step (b) as an siRNA sequence for the target gene, wherein said candidate siRNA sequence satisfies said set of one or more criteria; and (e) after step (d) synthesizing an siRNA molecule for said target gene, wherein said siRNA molecule for said target gene comprises said siRNA sequence for the target gene, whereby said siRNA molecule for said target gene is obtained.