BWA stands for "Burrows-Wheeler Aligner," a software tool used in bioinformatics for aligning DNA sequences to a reference genome. It is particularly effective for handling large datasets generated by next-generation sequencing technologies. The algorithm rearranges the input sequences to improve the efficiency of the alignment process, making it faster and more accurate. The BWA tool is widely used in genomic research, including studies on human genetics, cancer genomics, and microbial genomics. It supports various alignment modes, allowing researchers to choose the best approach based on their specific needs. BWA has become a standard tool in many genomic analysis pipelines.