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SPATIAL TRANSCRIPTOMICS SONIFIED

An immersive / interactive sound installation

Sample excerpt [jump around to hear different gene expressions sonified]…

A spatial transcriptomics sonification, mapping gene expression in tumor microenvironment to representative musical sounds.

This research-creation project came about thanks to Marie-Dominique Franco (Director of Operations, Institut Cancer et Immunologie), who first introduced and encouraged me to explore this research area.

Data: Multi omics analysis revealing transition to invasive breast cancer GSE290924, Lin et al., GEO, 2025 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/geo/query/acc.cgi?acc=GSE290924

This piece maps gene expression in the tumor microenvironment using spatial transcriptomic data. For this initial test, I used only 10 genes from one of the six patients in the study. Ultimately this could be expanded in many ways.

• Using gene behaviors to help suggest assignment to specific musical instruments, e.g.:
  • • • oncogene = alarm bells
      • tumor suppressor = tabla
      • cell division = clicking percussion
      • adhesion = “sticky” sounding electric piano
• Mapping gene expression level to rate, volume, and/or pitch
• [Not heard in example: Mapping region of scan to spatial position]

Basic sonification design…

This piece also combines to play at the same time as the Sérenade Citotoxique plant cytotoxicity sonification installation. This may be heard at the end of the demo video for the Sérenade project:

Together, the cytotoxic installation and spatial transcriptomics projects bring macro and micro scales of bio technology and data into shared acoustic space — shaped through listening and music.

This dialogue between the site-specific (plant-based) and the molecular (gene-based) reflects the spirit of this work, and of my residency between IMéRA and the Institut Cancer et Immunologie (AMU).