This phenomenon was verified in 2002, when researchers reported of a certain case, "His condition would have been missed if they hadn't measured the pristanic acid concentration.

It can be treated by dietary elimination of pristanic and phytanic acid through reduced intake of dairy products and meats such as beef, lamb, and chicken.

[9][16][17] Antibodies to AMACR are used in immunohistochemistry to demonstrate prostate carcinoma, since the enzyme is greatly overexpressed in this type of tumour.

[18] The enzyme is also involved in a chiral inversion pathway which converts ibuprofen, a member of the 2-arylpropionic acid (2-APA) non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug family (NSAIDs), from the R-enantiomer to the S-enantiomer.

The reaction is of pharmacological importance because ibuprofen is typically used as a racemic mixture, and the drug is converted to the S-isomer upon uptake, which inhibits the activity of the cyclo-oxygenase enzymes and induces an anti-inflammatory effect.

Human AMACR 1A has been demonstrated to epimerise other 2-APA-CoA esters,[19] suggesting a common chiral inversion pathway for this class of drugs.