Abstract: The invention provides a unique cell culture chamber, as well as systems for culturing and analyzing cells, methods of using the chamber, and techniques for culturing and analyzing cells. The invention also provides an apparatus for distributing cells across a substrate, comprising a chamber comprised of at least one polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) surface, where the chamber comprises one or more wells, and each well can contain a volume of a suspension of cells in culture, and where the chamber, when placed over a substrate, provides a more uniform dispersement of cells on the substrate than when the cells are deposited on a substrate without said chamber.