No DRAGEN hardware? No problem. DRAGEN v4.5 introduces the STAR Aligner as a software-only alternative to the DRAGEN mapper for single-cell RNA-seq analysis — making DRAGEN accessible to any lab without FPGA infrastructure. Overall results including gene and cell counts, clustering, and cell type annotation are similar between STAR and the DRAGEN mapper. This video is a clip from the full DRAGEN v4.5 webinar, DRAGEN v4.5 - Expanding Accurate Variant Discovery Across the Entire Genome. Watch the full on-demand session here: https://www.illumina.com/events/webinar/2026/dragen-v4.5.html 🔬 Try DRAGEN for free: https://www.illumina.com/destination/dragen-demo.html Subscribe to the Illumina video channel http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=IlluminaInc A global genomics leader, Illumina provides comprehensive next-generation sequencing solutions to the research, clinical, and applied markets. Through collaborative innovation, Illumina is fueling groundbreaking advancements in oncology, reproductive health, genetic disease, microbiology, agriculture, forensic science, and beyond. View customer spotlight videos https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLKRu7cmBQlajfheLzgbI4S7xBn7IDbt79 View Illumina webinars https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLKRu7cmBQlahpXlnrrXlQw9itVJ8yHwUZ View Illumina support videos https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLKRu7cmBQlajbm2KGsICWb-JOnusJfYvM LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/illumina X: https://x.com/illumina Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/illuminainc/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/illuminainc TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@illuminainc #Illumina #DRAGEN #STAR #singlecell #RNAseq #bioinformatics #genomics #scRNAseq #transcriptomics For Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures.