Used as an intermediate in the synthesis of pharmaceutical compounds, particularly in the development of protease inhibitors and other bioactive molecules. Its structure supports peptide mimetic design, making it valuable in medicinal chemistry for creating enzyme inhibitors with improved metabolic stability and selectivity. Commonly employed in research settings for structure-activity relationship (SAR) studies due to the presence of functional groups amenable to further modification. Also utilized in asymmetric synthesis owing to the chiral center, enabling the preparation of enantiomerically pure drugs.