The invention relates to a double-stranded ribonucleic acid (dsRNA) for
treating human papilloma virus (HPV) infection. The dsRNA comprises an
antisense strand having a nucleotide sequence which is less that 30
nucleotides in length, generally 19-25 nucleotides in length, and which
is substantially complementary to at least a part of an HPV Target gene
selected from among HPV E1, HPV E6 and the human E6AP gene. The invention
also relates to a pharmaceutical composition comprising the dsRNA
together with a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier; methods for treating
diseases caused by HPV infection and the expression of the E6AP gene
using the pharmaceutical composition; and methods for inhibiting the
expression of the HPV Target genes in a cell.