BLAST - Basic Local Alignment Search Tool

Blast programs use a heuristic search algorithm. The programs use the statistical methods of Karlin and Altschul [1]. Blast programs were designed for fast database searching, with minimal sacrifice of sensitivity for distantly related sequences. The programs search databases in a special compressed format. To use your own private database with Blast, you need to convert it to the blast format.
Direct pointer: The BLAST at nbci: [27]
It also can be run through one of the retrieval systems (recommended). For example: GeneWeb mirror site at Weizmann Institute: [16]