Used as a chiral building block in the synthesis of pharmaceutical intermediates, particularly for gamma-amino acid derivatives and peptide-based drugs. The compound features a free carboxylic acid, an amine hydrochloride salt, and a protected methyl ester functionality, enabling selective coupling and deprotection in multi-step organic syntheses. Commonly employed in the preparation of enzyme inhibitors and bioactive molecules where stereochemistry is crucial for biological activity. Also utilized in research for designing novel prodrugs and metabolically stable analogs.