Used in research as a nucleoside analog for studying antiviral compounds, particularly in the development of drugs targeting retroviruses. It serves as a precursor in synthetic pathways for compounds with potential activity against HIV and other viral infections. Its structure allows incorporation into nucleic acids, leading to chain termination during reverse transcription, which makes it valuable in virology and molecular biology studies. Also investigated for its role in mitochondrial toxicity assays due to its impact on cellular DNA synthesis.