Used primarily in research as a potent and selective inhibitor of farnesyltransferase, an enzyme involved in the post-translational modification of proteins such as Ras. By blocking farnesylation, it interferes with the activation of oncogenic Ras signaling pathways, making it a candidate for cancer therapy studies, particularly in leukemias and solid tumors. It has been investigated in clinical trials for its antiproliferative effects and ability to induce apoptosis in malignant cells. Also used as a tool compound to study protein prenylation and cell cycle regulation in biochemical assays.