Used as an intermediate in the synthesis of pharmaceutical compounds, particularly in the development of kinase inhibitors for cancer treatment. It serves as a building block in medicinal chemistry due to its ability to undergo selective cross-coupling reactions, enabling the construction of complex isoquinoline-based structures. Its nitro and bromo functional groups allow for sequential modifications, making it valuable in drug discovery research. Also employed in the preparation of fluorescent probes for biological imaging, leveraging the isoquinoline core’s photophysical properties.