Used as a chiral building block in the synthesis of pharmaceuticals, particularly in the development of protease inhibitors and other bioactive molecules. Its unsaturated side chain allows for further functionalization via reactions such as hydrogenation, epoxidation, or dihydroxylation, enabling structural diversification. The primary amine group facilitates peptide coupling, making it useful in peptidomimetic design. Commonly employed in research settings for probing enzyme activity or designing targeted inhibitors.