Used in pharmaceutical research as a chiral building block for the synthesis of bioactive compounds. It plays a role in the development of drugs targeting neurological disorders due to its structural similarity to neurotransmitters. Also employed in asymmetric synthesis to create enantiomerically pure molecules, which are critical in producing medications with higher efficacy and fewer side effects. Its application extends to the study of enzyme inhibition and receptor binding mechanisms, aiding in the design of more effective therapeutic agents.