Used in pharmaceutical research as a key intermediate in the synthesis of kinase inhibitors, particularly in the development of anticancer agents. It serves as a building block for indolinone-based compounds that exhibit activity against tyrosine kinases, which are involved in signal transduction pathways linked to tumor growth and progression. Its structure allows for easy functionalization, making it valuable in structure-activity relationship (SAR) studies during drug discovery. Also explored in the design of selective inhibitors for neurological targets due to its ability to cross the blood-brain barrier in certain derivatives.