Our brief for The American Society of Clinical Oncology 2023 conference was traditional work for a doctor audience. We had a bigger idea based on a powerful insight: Each day in the US, 5,250 people hear “you have cancer.” A diagnosis often leads to clinical stress, low immune response, and inability to fight cancer. With psychoneuroimmunology, the study of the mind on health and disease, we knew we could boost patient resiliency and outcomes. Joined by Harvard Medical School, Cancer Dojo, and Berklee School of Music, we aimed for something never done before: capture and sonify sounds of cancer cells dying, and turn that into a form of supportive therapy for people battling cancer.

With our client the American Society of Clinical Oncology, we had an opportunity to showcase creative at the 2023 ASCO conference. While the brief called for traditional creative deliverables, we had a much bigger, groundbreaking idea.

We started with the insight that every day in the US, 5,250 people hear the words, “you have cancer.” Scientific studies have shown that the diagnosis itself can lead to clinical stress, weakening of immune responses, and the inability to fight back against cancer.

We knew that by leveraging the power of psychoneuroimmunology, or the study of the mind on health and disease, we could increase resiliency for patients and enable more positive outcomes for them.

Through partnerships with Harvard Medical School, Cancer Dojo, and Berklee School of Music, we set out to do something never done before: harness the sounds of cancer dying at the cellular level and capture sounds filled with meaning.

Our target audience was oncologists at ASCO and cancer patients. However, because The Most Beautiful Sound is an open-sourced sound therapy, everyone from hospitals, universities, patients, and caregivers can hear this audio experience.

Partnering with Harvard Medical School in a 2-year, scientifically validated study, we isolated cells from multiple types of cancer at the precise moment of apoptosis. Because there’s motion and vibration within all cells, including those with cancer, we used a microscopy technique known as stimulated Raman scattering to image the microscopic details of cells and tissue via their inherit molecular vibrations. This allowed us to map chemicals across space and time in cells and follow cell growth and death. This data and the inherit frequencies of the cells were translated into high fidelity sound and shared with patients, becoming the most beautiful sound they’ve ever heard – cancer cells dying.

Based on our research into psychoneuroimmunology, the study of the mind on health and disease, we knew sound could be a viable approach to aid healing. But any idea had to be powerful enough to take on 3 of the most terrifying sounds anyone will ever hear: “You have cancer.”

Further research into the healing power of sound led us to an exclusive partnership with Harvard Medical School and our 2-year, scientifically validated study designed to capture the sounds of cells dying, starting in 2021. We wanted to, for the first time ever, capture actual audio of cancer cells during the moment of death and then use those sounds as part of the healing process.

Using an innovative form of microscopy technique known as stimulated Raman scattering, we isolated cancer cells at the precise moment of cell death by projecting laser beams of different colours onto cells. When the energy difference between these colours matched the molecular vibration, we could see where molecules containing that vibration reside. This allowed us to map chemicals across space and time in cells and follow processes such as cell growth and death. This data and the inherent frequencies of the cells were translated from millions of raw numbers into high fidelity sound and shared with patients.

We paired the sounds with vibrant, AI-assisted imagery of the different types of cancer cells whose sound we captured. Featured on TheMostBeautifulSound.org and during the 2023 ASCO Convention – the world’s largest professional gathering of oncologists – this became an immersive, audio-visual therapeutic experience that resonated deeply with patients, caregivers, and oncology healthcare professionals. We also launched a pilot sound therapy program on the Cancer Dojo app so the sounds of cancer cells dying can be used as an open-source sound therapy with hospitals, universities, patients, and caregivers.

The Most Beautiful Sound dramatically altered the public perception of The American Society of Clinical Oncology. Prior to our project, they were known as the leading clinical U.S. organization in oncology but were not known for producing high-impact, culturally relevant work. By reaching 35,000 oncologists at the 2023 ASCO Convention, we were able to radically change brand perception. Now, they are seen as not only a clinically driven organization, but one that can connect with its audience on a deeply emotional level.

This was further emphasized on TheMostBeautifulSound.org, where patients, caregivers, and medical institutions could access the open-source sound files to incorporate a new type of therapy into the care paradigm – the sound of cancer cells dying.

Additionally, we reached the 1,000,000+ readers of ASCO’s Conquer magazine, where our project was the cover story in December 2023.