The invention relates to a double-stranded RNA compound, which down-regulates the expression of a human p53 gene. The invention also relates to a pharmaceutical composition comprising the compound, and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier. In an embodiment of the invention a double-stranded RNA compound has the structure: 5 ugaagggugaaauauucuc 3 (antisense strand) (SEQ ID NO: 48) 3 acuucccacuuuauaagag 5 (sense strand) (SEQ ID NO: 25) wherein each of a, c, u and g is an unmodified ribonucleotide or a 2-O-Methyl sugar modified ribonucleotide and each consecutive ribonucleotide is joined to the next ribonucleotide by a covalent bond wherein in the antisense strand each of the first, third, fifth, seventh, ninth, eleventh, thirteenth, fifteenth, seventeenth and nineteenth ribonucleotide is a 2-O-Methyl sugar modified ribonucleotide and wherein in the sense strand each of the second, fourth, sixth, eighth, tenth, twelfth, fourteenth, sixteenth and eighteenth ribonucleotide is a 2-O-Methyl sugar modified ribonucleotide.
