Patent ID: 8398971

Claim:
A method of limiting an increase in the quantity of mucus in the respiratory tract of a subject above a baseline level of mucus in the subject's respiratory tract, comprising: determining a baseline level of mucus in the subject's respiratory tract; and administering to the subject a compound or composition containing a therapeutically effective amount of a fusion protein, wherein the fusion protein comprises at least one catalytic domain of a sialidase, wherein the catalytic domain of the sialidase comprises the sequence of amino acids extending from amino acid 274 to amino acid 666 of SEQ ID NO:12, inclusive, and at least one anchoring domain, wherein the anchoring domain is a glycosaminoglycan (GAG) binding domain of human amphiregulin comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:7, wherein the therapeutically effective amount comprises an amount of the fusion protein that limits an increase in the quantity of mucus in the respiratory tract of the subject above the baseline level.