Biological imaging and optical techniques portray significance in generating data and illustrating biological phenomena in cellular contexts. Their evolution has given rise to a series of high resolution imaging techniques capable of viewing the cell-scape of a single cell in a detailed manner. Atomic Force microscopy (AFM) and Super-Resolution fluorescence microscopy are examples of such techniques representing this new age of nanoscopic visualization, and have the capacity to generate three-dimensional high resolution images.

Understanding the architecture and interactions of cell membranes has always been challenging due to their highly dynamic nature and the complexity of their interactions to environmental factors. However, visualization through these novel techniques provides greater insight into membrane morphology, distribution, and molecular interactions of membrane proteins within the lipid bi-layer. Additionally they have been utilised to reveal the molecular mechanisms behind ligand-receptor, host-pathogen and antimicrobial peptide-membrane interactions. Improvements on these techniques may provide a means to gain further understanding of membrane dynamics in real time.