What are voice biomarkers?
Voice biomarkers are measurable characteristics of speech that may reflect aspects of a person’s physical, neurological, cognitive or psychological state.
The short answer
Why can the voice carry health information?
Speaking is a coordinated biological process. The lungs supply airflow, the vocal folds create sound, the vocal tract shapes it, and the brain coordinates language, timing and movement. Changes in respiratory function, motor control, cognition, mood or fatigue can therefore influence the resulting signal.
What does voice analysis measure?
| Feature family | Examples | What it describes |
|---|---|---|
| Prosody | Pitch, intonation, rhythm | How speech rises, falls and varies over time. |
| Timing | Speaking rate, pauses, response latency | The pace and temporal organization of speech. |
| Voice quality | Stability, breathiness, perturbation | Characteristics of vocal-fold vibration and airflow. |
| Spectral characteristics | Energy distribution and frequency-domain measures | The acoustic composition of the recorded signal. |
| Linguistic features | Vocabulary, syntax and semantic content | What is said. Some systems use these features; others focus on how someone speaks. |
Virtuosis primarily analyzes acoustic characteristics rather than the meaning of the words, which supports use across languages. Recording context and speech fluency can still affect a model and must be considered during validation.
Where are voice biomarkers being studied?
Mental health and wellbeing
Research has examined associations between depression and measures such as speech rate, pitch variability, prosody and voice quality. Reviews find promising results but also substantial variation in datasets, recording tasks and validation methods.
Neurological and cognitive health
Changes in articulation, prosody, fluency and language can be investigated in conditions affecting movement or cognition, including Parkinson’s disease and mild neurocognitive disorders.
Respiratory health
Voice, cough and breathing sounds can contain information related to respiratory function. Studies include asthma, infection and symptom monitoring, although performance depends strongly on the task and population.
Fatigue and communication
Timing, energy, vocal effort and variability may help characterize fatigue, stress and communication patterns. These applications require clear definitions and validation against appropriate reference measures.
What the evidence does—and does not—show
Voice biomarkers are a promising form of digital measurement because speech is easy to capture remotely and repeatedly. Peer-reviewed studies have reported useful associations and classification performance for specific conditions. However, performance in one study does not automatically transfer to another language, device, population or clinical setting.
How Virtuosis analyzes voice
Virtuosis is designed to complement—not replace—professional judgment or established clinical assessment. Product capabilities and regulatory status depend on the specific deployment and intended use.
Privacy and responsible use
Voice recordings can be sensitive personal data. Collection should be transparent, based on an appropriate legal basis and consent process, and limited to a clearly explained purpose. Access, retention and deletion rules should be documented.
Virtuosis states that data is encrypted, processed in Microsoft Azure, and that audio is deleted after processing unless another arrangement is explicitly agreed. Read the full Ethics & Privacy commitments and Privacy Policy.
Frequently asked questions
Are “voice biomarkers” and “vocal biomarkers” the same?
The terms are often used interchangeably. “Speech biomarker” may be broader because it can include timing, articulation and linguistic content in addition to properties of the voice signal.
Do voice biomarkers analyze what I say?
Not necessarily. Acoustic systems can analyze how a person speaks without using semantic content. Other systems combine acoustic and linguistic features, so the product’s data practices should explain which approach is used.
Can a voice biomarker diagnose a disease?
Only a tool validated and authorized for a specific diagnostic purpose should be presented that way. Many current applications are research, screening, monitoring or wellbeing tools rather than standalone diagnostic devices.
Is a special microphone required?
Many systems can work with ordinary phones or computers. Nevertheless, device differences, compression and background noise can affect measurements and should be addressed during model development and deployment.
Selected scientific references
- Low DM et al. Evaluation of Speech-Based Digital Biomarkers: Review and Recommendations. Digital Biomarkers. 2020.
- Fagherazzi G et al. A voice-based biomarker for monitoring symptom resolution in adults with COVID-19. PLOS Digital Health. 2022.
- Richard AB et al. Linguistic Markers of Subtle Cognitive Impairment in Connected Speech: A Systematic Review. JSLHR. 2024.
- Briganti G, Lechien JR. Speech and Voice Quality as Digital Biomarkers in Depression: A Systematic Review. Journal of Voice. 2025.
- Alqudaihi KS et al. Respiratory Diseases Diagnosis Using Audio Analysis and Artificial Intelligence: A Systematic Review. Sensors. 2024.
