Abstract: A system and method for advancing a portion of a fluid in a first microfluidics card includes establishing a timed sequence of pressure condition events, each pressure condition event in the sequence creating one or more pressure differentials for either imparting to the portion of the fluid a moving force in which the portion is moved from a first to a second location, or establishing an equilibrium in which a position of the portion remains stationary. In certain embodiments, a fluidics processing unit is described. It includes a microfluidics card having an inlet line, an outlet line, and one or more microchannels in fluid communication with the inlet and outlet lines. It also includes at least one pressure source for driving fluid in the inlet and outlet lines, and a controller for actuating the at least one pressure source in a timed sequence of steps to selectively advance at least a portion of the fluid to one or more targeted locations through the microchannels.