RNAi inhibition of CTGF for treatment of ocular disorders

1. A method of attenuating expression of connective tissue growth factor mRNA in an eye of a subject, comprising:

administering directly to the eye of the subject a composition comprising an effective amount of interfering RNA consisting of 19 to 49 nucleotides and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier, the interfering RNA comprising:

5′-gguuaguaucaucagauagTT-3′

SEQ ID NO: 27

and

3′-TTccaaucauaguagucuauc-5′,

SEQ ID NO: 28

wherein the expression of connective tissue growth factor mRNA is attenuated.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the subject has a connective tissue growth factor-associated ocular disorder.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the subject is at risk of developing a connective tissue growth factor-associated ocular disorder.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein the connective tissue growth factor-associated ocular disorder is glaucoma, macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, choroidal neovascularization, proliferative vitreoretinopathy or wound healing.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the sense nucleotide sequence and the antisense nucleotide sequence are connected by a loop nucleotide sequence.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the composition is administered via a topical, intravitreal, or transcleral route.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising administering to the eye of the subject a second interfering RNA having a length of 19 to 49 nucleotides, and comprising:

a sense nucleotide sequence, an antisense nucleotide sequence, and a region of at least near-perfect complementarity of at least 19 nucleotides;

wherein the antisense sequence of the second interfering RNA hybridizes under physiological conditions to a second portion of mRNA corresponding to SEQ ID NO:1, and the antisense sequence has a region of at least near-perfect contiguous complementarity of at least 19 nucleotides with the second hybridizing portion of mRNA corresponding to SEQ ID NO:1.