Used as a chiral building block in the synthesis of pharmaceuticals, particularly in the development of protease inhibitors and other biologically active compounds. The benzyloxycarbonyl (Cbz) protecting group on the nitrogen enables selective deprotection under mild reduction conditions, preserving the integrity of other functional groups. Its hydroxyl and carboxylic acid functional groups allow for further chemical modifications, making it valuable in medicinal chemistry for constructing complex molecules with high stereoselectivity. Commonly employed in peptide mimetics and drug design where precise spatial arrangement of functional groups is critical for biological activity.