Used in the synthesis of fluorinated carbohydrates and glycoconjugates for research in metabolic labeling and imaging. Serves as a probe to study carbohydrate metabolism, particularly in cancer cells that exhibit altered glucose uptake. Incorporated into radiotracers for positron emission tomography (PET) when labeled with fluorine-18. Enables investigation of glycosylation processes and enzyme mechanisms involving mannose-processing enzymes. Also explored in the development of antiviral and anticancer agents due to its ability to interfere with normal sugar metabolism in pathogens and tumor cells.