Used as a chiral building block in the synthesis of pharmaceuticals, particularly in the development of protease inhibitors and other bioactive molecules. Its protected amine and carboxylic acid functionalities make it suitable for peptide coupling reactions, allowing incorporation into complex peptide structures. The methoxy group can serve as a synthetic handle for further modification or as a mimic of natural amino acid side chains. Commonly employed in medicinal chemistry for structure-activity relationship studies due to its stereochemical purity and functional group compatibility.