Primarily utilized in the field of antiviral research, 2',3'-Dideoxycytidine (ddC) serves as a nucleoside analog that inhibits the replication of certain viruses, particularly retroviruses such as HIV. It has been studied for its potential in treating HIV/AIDS by interfering with the viral reverse transcription process, where it acts as a chain terminator during DNA synthesis. Known clinically as zalcitabine, it is a nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NRTI) and has been explored in the development of antiretroviral therapies. Its applications extend to biochemical research, where it is used to study the mechanisms of viral replication and the efficacy of nucleoside analogs in inhibiting viral enzymes like reverse transcriptase.