Researchers can now listen to cells changing: Could improve understanding of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease

Modern biomedicine increasingly relies on enormous amounts of imaging data.

Although some analyses can be carried out by computers, biologists often need to look through the images themselves. This takes time.

“Therefore, we asked ourselves whether we could turn images into sound, so-called image sonification. This could prove useful in detecting patterns that are difficult to see with the naked eye,” says Bálint Laczkó.

He is a researcher at the University of Oslo's RITMO Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies in Rhythm, Time and Motion.

Working closely with colleagues at the university, he has developed Pixasonics, a tool that can turn image data into sound. The instructions for the tool are freely available.

Published as a Python library

Image sonification is already used in a great deal of biological and medical research, including to improve diagnostics.

Existing tools cater to different needs and research communities. Some are aimed at researchers, while others are mobile apps where you can upload an image and receive an audio representation in return.

Pixasonics uses the programming language Python and was created in collaboration with biologists in the Autorhythm project.

It is primarily intended for researchers in the life sciences, who can integrate it into programs they already use. Beyond that, it can also be used in other fields of research and by sound designers and musicians, according to Laczkó.

“It's a toolbox published as an open Python library. This means that it's a set of ready-made building blocks: When you write Python code, you can plug these blocks in, so that you don't have to build everything yourself,” he says.

But if you want to create something more unique, you can easily customise the blocks or build your own, he adds.

"In this way, image sonification can be seamlessly integrated into your personal workflow," says Laczkó.

Working to understand cells’ recycling system

In the Autorhythm project, researchers are working towards a better understanding of the cells’ own recycling system. This is knwon as autophagy: cells break down and recycle protein clumps and structures that no longer function properly.

The older humans become, the more these processes weaken. This leads to a gradual destruction of the brain and other organs.

Research has indicated that strengthening these processes may extend lifespan and could also open possibilities for better treatment of several diseases – especially those in which nerve cells gradually deteriorate, such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

But for this to become possible, researchers need to fully understand the autophagy process. This is where Pixasonics comes in, since the work involves analysing thousands of detailed images.

Parts of cells are labelled with so-called fluorescent proteins, which emit light, before biologists take a long series of high-resolution images to see what happens in the cells over time.

Sound reveals changes in a series of images

Laczkó explains that this is painstaking work, which can both strain the eyes and create a risk that important details are not detected.

With Pixasonics, biologists can upload the images they want to analyse and give the tool a specific task. The pixels in the image are then translated into sound, which plays in real time while the images are displayed on the screen.

“For example, a bright pixel can give a high, beeping tone, and a dark pixel can give a tone that is deeper and rumbling. If you move the mouse pointer around, bright areas will make the pitch rise, while dark areas will make it fall,” the researcher explains.

Using the tool on a series of images, you can hear how the subject changes over time.

Researchers studying image sequences would then no longer have to jump back and forth between images as much to see what is happening in a particular area. Instead, the sound tells them how the image is changing.

Can help find the needle in the haystack

“Our vision and hearing have evolved with different strengths. While vision is best at detecting spatial patterns, such as shapes, distance, and position, hearing is best at perceiving patterns that unfold over time, for example rhythms, changes, and sequences,” says Laczkó.

A combination of eyes and ears can therefore make large volumes of images easier to explore.

Researchers, musicians, and technologists have all contributed input to Pixasonics. Laczkó hopes to continue developing the tool in the future, including by conducting user studies.

“In addition, my colleagues and I have several ideas to how Pixasonics can become particularly useful in researching the cells’ cleaning processes. For example, we believe that it can help find the needle in the haystack in cases where a tiny but important part of the autophagy process is buried in the sea of cells that are visible under the microscope,” he says.

Reference:

Laczkó, B. Instrumental Image Sonification, Doctoral dissertation at the University of Oslo, 2026. (About the dissertation)

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