SkyBLAST: Faster, accurate genomic search
SkyBLAST aims to drastically reduce BLAST search wait times, and provide an alternative to the often congested service offered by the US National Library of Medicine.
We aim to provide fast, real-time searches of large databases such as the Non-Redundant Protein Database (NR) or the Core Nucleotide BLAST Database (core_nt).
SkyBLAST searches the exact same data collections curated from GenBank, EMBL, DDBJ, PDB, and RefSeq by the NCBI. The product is currently freely available for light usage (up to ten queries each day).
SkyBLAST was launched in 2025 and is currently in development. We'd love to receive your feedback at [email protected]
The team
Michael Cameron
Founder
Michael completed his PhD titled Efficient homology search for genomic sequence databases at RMIT University. He worked as a software engineer at Microsoft, before co-founding the innovative and popular travel search engine, Rome2rio. After selling the business in 2019, Michael is excited to return to developing faster genomic tools for scientists with the development of SkyBLAST.
Alan Lawrey
Software Engineer
Alan brings over 15 years of software development experience in building complex web applications. He previously worked at Rome2rio alongside Michael Cameron, developing integrations for train tickets and timetables. Alan holds an Honours degree in Computer Science from Latrobe University, where he specialized in backend and devops, with research focusing on genetic algorithms.
Marton Bodonyi
Software Engineer
Marton is a Staff Software Engineer with deep expertise in healthcare technology. At Seer, he developed patient-facing epilepsy applications and clinical viewing systems. Previously at Rome2rio, he led UI/UX initiatives that significantly improved conversion rates. He brings extensive experience in React and TypeScript development, with a focus on building efficient, user-focused solutions.
Michelle Chow
Scientific Advisor & Director
Michelle has a PhD in Biochemistry, where she studied mechanisms of folding and misfolding by ataxin-3, a polyglutamine protein. Since then she has led communications at the WHO Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Influenza, and driven the Partnership for Personalized Medicine at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle.