In January 2007, scientists at the University of Iowa reported in the Journal of Virology that they had developed K18-hACE2 mice for research of the SARS-CoV virus.

In addition to their utility in studies of SARS pathogenesis, K18-hACE2 mice are useful in vaccine and other therapeutic studies, especially those directed against human strains of SARS-CoV. While SARS-CoV infection had not recurred to a significant extent since 2003, it remained a potential threat.