Used primarily in pharmaceutical research as a key intermediate in the synthesis of immunomodulatory drugs, particularly those related to thalidomide analogs. It plays a critical role in the development of targeted protein degraders such as PROTACs, where it serves as a ligand for cereblon (CRBN), an E3 ubiquitin ligase. By binding to cereblon, this compound enables the selective degradation of disease-related proteins, making it valuable in oncology and inflammatory disease research. Its carboxylic acid functional group allows for easy conjugation to other molecules, facilitating the creation of complex drug architectures for studying cellular pathways and developing novel therapeutics.