Used in pharmaceutical research as a metabolite analog for studying metabolic pathways involving branched-chain amino acids. It serves as a building block in the synthesis of bioactive compounds and peptide derivatives, particularly those targeting neurological and metabolic disorders. Its structural similarity to natural amino acids allows it to modulate enzyme activity and interfere with protein modification processes, making it valuable in developing enzyme inhibitors. Also employed in analytical chemistry as a reference standard for detecting abnormal acylglycine excretions in urine, aiding in the diagnosis of inherited metabolic diseases like organic acidemias.