摘要： Identification of the nanoscale changes that take place in cell membrane (CM) morphology or cell biomechanical properties (CBPs) in disease states or in response to drug treatment enable for a better understanding of the effects of the drugs on disease pathogenesis and recovery. CM proteins and CBPs have a crucial role in the regulation of many physiological and pathological processes. Direct assessment of the CM and CBPs is therefore useful not only for a better appreciation of cell structure but also for a better understanding of cell pathophysiology. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) is a technique that can be employed to assess CM structure and CBPs at the nanometer scale. In the first part of this chapter, we describe the principles of AFM and appraise its value in the assessment of CM morphology and CBPs. In the second part, we review examples of disease- or drug- dependent changes in CM morphology and CBPs that have been elucidated using AFM.