US 7,538,095 B2
	Genetic inhibition by double-stranded RNA
Andrew Fire, Baltimore, Md. (US); Stephen Kostas, Chicago, Ill. (US); Mary Montgomery, St. Paul, Minn. (US); Lisa Timmons, Lawrence, Kans. (US); SiQun Xu, Ballwin, Mo. (US); Hiroaki Tabara, Shizuoka (Japan); Samuel E. Driver, Providence, R.I. (US); and Craig C. Mello, Shrewsbury, Mass. (US)
Assigned to The Carnegie Institution of Washington, Washington, D.C. (US); and The University of Massachusetts, Boston, Mass. (US)
Filed on Oct. 30, 2002, as Appl. No. 10/282,996.
Application 10/282996 is a continuation of application No. 09/215257, filed on Dec. 18, 1998, granted, now 6,506,559.
Claims priority of provisional application 60/068562, filed on Dec. 23, 1997.
Prior Publication US 2003/0056235 A1, Mar. 20, 2003
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. A61K 31/70 (2006.01); C07H 21/04 (2006.01); C12N 5/00 (2006.01); C12N 15/00 (2006.01); C12Q 1/68 (2006.01); C12P 19/34 (2006.01)

U.S. Cl. 514—44  [536/24.5; 435/6; 435/91.3; 435/320.1; 435/325]

15 Claims

1. A method to inhibit expression of a target gene in a cell in vitro comprising synthesizing at least two ribonucleic acids (RNAs) in the cell in an amount sufficient to inhibit the expression of a target gene, wherein the at least two RNAs form a double-stranded structure containing separate complementary strands, wherein the first RNA consists essentially of a ribonucleotide sequence which corresponds to a nucleotide sequence of the target gene and the second RNA consists essentially of a ribonucleotide sequence which is complementary to the nucleotide sequence of the target gene, wherein the first and the second ribonucleotide sequences are complementary sequences that hybridize to each other to form said double-stranded structure, and wherein the target gene is an endogenous gene.