Isovaline is a rare amino acid transported to Earth by the Murchison meteorite[citation needed], which landed in Australia in 1969.

The discovery of isovaline in the biosphere demonstrates an extraterrestrial origin of amino acids and has been linked to the homochirality of life on Earth,[1] suggesting a role in the origin of life.

The structure of isovaline is also somewhat similar to the amino acids GABA and glycine, the chief inhibitory neurotransmitters in the mammalian central nervous system.

Isovaline acts as an analgesic in mice[3][4] by activating peripheral GABAB receptors.

[4] Isovaline does not cross the blood–brain barrier[4] and does not enter into the brain or spinal cord.