Dihydrothymine is primarily used in biochemical research, particularly in studies related to DNA repair mechanisms and pyrimidine metabolism. It serves as an intermediate in the catabolic pathway of thymine, helping researchers understand how cells process and recycle nucleotides. This compound is also valuable in enzymology studies, where it is used to investigate the activity and specificity of enzymes like dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase. Additionally, dihydrothymine plays a role in medical research, especially in understanding genetic disorders linked to pyrimidine metabolism defects and in the development of treatments for conditions such as cancer, where nucleotide metabolism is often targeted. Its application extends to the synthesis of analogs and inhibitors for therapeutic and diagnostic purposes.