Used as a chiral building block in the synthesis of pharmaceuticals, particularly in the development of enzyme inhibitors and bioactive molecules. Its hydroxyl and carboxylic acid functional groups allow for versatile chemical modifications, making it valuable in medicinal chemistry for creating peptidomimetics and nitrogen-containing heterocycles. Commonly employed in the preparation of protease inhibitors and neuroactive compounds due to its structural similarity to natural amino acids and its ability to influence conformational rigidity in target molecules.