Double-stranded RNA compounds to CASP2 and uses thereof

1. A method of treating a human patient suffering from or at risk for developing non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION), the method comprising administering to the patient's eye via intravitreal (IVT) injection a double-stranded RNA compound that down-regulates CASP2 expression, or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, the double-stranded RNA compound having the structure:

(sense strand; SEQ ID NO: 1)

5′ iB-GCCAGAAUGUGGAACUCCU 3′

(antisense strand; SEQ ID NO: 2)

3′CGGUCUUACACCUUGAGGA 5′

wherein each A, C, U, and G is a nucleotide and each consecutive nucleotide is joined to the next nucleotide by a phosphodiester bond;

wherein each nucleotide is independently an unmodified ribonucleotide, a 2′-O-Methyl sugar modified ribonucleotide or a L-DNA nucleotide;

wherein the sense strand comprises, counting from the 5′ terminus, an unmodified ribonucleotide at each of positions 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, and 19 and a L-deoxycytidine at position 18, and an inverted abasic deoxyribose cap (iB) covalently bound to the 5′ terminus;

wherein the antisense strand comprises, counting from the 5′ terminus, a 2′-O-Methyl sugar modified ribonucleotide at each of positions 2, 4, 6, 8, 11, 13, 15, 17, and 19 and an unmodified ribonucleotide at each of positions 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 10, 12, 14, 16, and 18; and

wherein the compound is administered to the patient's eye at a dose of about 1.2 mg to about 3.0 mg per eye.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the treatment comprises multiple consecutive administrations of the compound.

3. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the IVT injections are administered six (6) times.

4. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the multiple administrations occur at regular intervals every two months.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the compound is administered as six (6) consecutive IVT injections at regular intervals of about one month.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the compound is administered to the patient's eye within 14 days from the onset of NAION symptoms.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the compound is administered to the patient's eye within 28 days from the onset of NAION symptoms.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the pharmaceutically acceptable salt is a sodium salt.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the compound is administered to the patient's eye as a liquid composition comprising a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier.

10. The method according to claim 9 , wherein a volume of a single dose IVT injection is between about 20 μl to about 200 μl.