Used as a chiral building block in the synthesis of pharmaceuticals, particularly in the development of bioactive molecules and central nervous system agents. Its rigid tetrahydroquinoline scaffold and hydroxymethyl group make it valuable for constructing enantioselective compounds, often employed in the preparation of enzyme inhibitors and receptor modulators. Commonly utilized in medicinal chemistry for structure-activity relationship studies due to its stereochemical purity and ability to enhance binding selectivity.