Used primarily in pharmaceutical research as an intermediate in the synthesis of bioactive molecules. Its rigid pyrrolidine scaffold and functional groups make it valuable for developing compounds with specific stereochemistry, particularly in central nervous system agents and receptor modulators. The tert-butyl and hydroxymethyl groups allow further chemical modifications, enabling optimization of pharmacokinetic properties such as metabolic stability and membrane permeability. It is also employed in the development of protease inhibitors and receptor antagonists due to its structural similarity to proline derivatives and its ability to influence peptide conformation.