The American Society of Clinical Oncology wanted to connect with the 35,000 oncologists visiting their 2023 annual convention. Although an in-person event, ASCO truly saw it as a means to reach doctors on a B2B level. But at a conference filled with hundreds of pharmaceutical companies and brands fighting for a few precious moments of attention, we needed to deliver something that would resonate above and beyond the conference walls.

So, with The Most Beautiful Sound, thousands of attendees were impacted by the wonder of hearing cancer cells dying for the first time ever.

The most important cultural context is the universality of cancer as a common enemy. Across borders, race, ethnicity, age, or any other socioeconomic or cultural demographic, we all know how devastating cancer is to patients, caregivers, and the wider healthcare system. We partnered with our client, The American Society of Clinical Oncology, the world’s largest network of cancer specialists, because they are dedicated to improving outcomes in cancer care.

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.

After examining thousands of cancer molecules and collecting millions of data points, the data from the 7 most prolific cancer cell lines were measured and sonified into high fidelity sounds. For the first time, we turned abstract cellular sounds into something tangible to empower patients.

In collaboration with the Berklee School of Music and Cancer Dojo, The Most Beautiful Sound was brought to patients everywhere through a pilot sound therapy program.

Along with Clinical Nurse Specialists and leading oncologists, we gave the sound away as an open-sourced therapy to hospitals, universities, patients, and caregivers. It is also available on the Cancer Dojo app. The Most Beautiful Sound also launched with a website, radio ad, film, and had a major presence at the 2023 ASCO convention, attended by over 35,000 oncologists. And in December 2023, it was a cover story for ASCO’s Conquer patient support magazine and its 1,000,000 plus readership.

The Most Beautiful Sound’s B2B efforts were focused on helping The American Society of Clinical Oncology connect with oncologists across a range of practice types. These include private practice, academic institutions, and public medical facilities. At the 2023 ASCO Convention, we were able to reach 35,000 of these oncologists and reshape the narrative about ASCO. Prior to our project, they were not known for producing high-impact, culturally relevant work. After the release of The Most Beautiful Sound, their primary business objective – change the perspective of ASCO as a purely clinical organization to one that can connect to oncologists with creative work – was successfully achieved. Additionally, the project was a cover story on ASCO’s Conquer magazine, a support publication for people battling cancer with over 1,000,000 readers.