Translational research and the ultimate goal of personalized medicine have been hampered because the available technology to process microarrays is complex, expensive, and time-consuming. Results from traditional technologies are also prone to unacceptable levels of variability in meeting the rigorous performance and quality control needs of the clinical-diagnostic laboratory. The Ziplex Automated Gene-Expression System, from researchers at Xceed Molecular Corp., Wellesley, Mass., was designed with turnkey functionality and significant advances in automation, array format, fluidics, parallel sample processing, and analytics to minimize complexity, user interaction, and variability between users and sites. It is an integrated system for automated gene-expression analysis, comprising an automated hybridization workstation, TipChip consumable arrays, reagents, and analysis/reporting software. At the core of the Ziplex system is the TipChip—a single-use disposable device consisting of a Flow-Thru Chip mounted to a polycarbonate tube. Unlike 2-D arrays, the 3-D Flow-Thru Chip design enables active transport of targets to probes. Multiple capture reagents are deposited in a grid for parallel analysis of up to 464 features, which results in hybridization times that are three to four times faster than conventional methods.