ProtonDx has announced that Dragonfly™, its portable, rapid diagnostic system, formed a key part of the diagnostic testing portfolio used by Team Scotland during the 2022 Commonwealth Games¹ in Birmingham, UK.

Testing at the 2022 Commonwealth Games provided insight into respiratory infections that might have affected individual performance and helped identify any impact on other athletes who might have potentially been exposed. It helped provide ‘peace of mind’ to athletes and coaches in the run-up to and during the Games. Team Scotland’s request to use the system was a direct result of the highly positive experience earlier this year of Dragonfly’s use by Team GB at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games held in Beijing, China.

Using proprietary ultra‑fast nucleic acid extraction and isothermal colourimetric detection, the system achieves PCR-equivalent sensitivity and specificity in less than 30 minutes from sample to result. The 5-in-1 Respiratory Test Panel detects severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‑CoV‑2), Influenza A Virus (IAV), Influenza B Virus (IBV), Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), and Human Rhinovirus (HRV) in a single test.

Dr Niall Elliott, Chief Medical Officer, Team Scotland, said: “It has taken years of intense training and focused preparation for Scotland’s best athletes to compete in the 2022 Commonwealth Games, the largest Games ever held. It was of the utmost importance that my team and I were able to ensure our athletes were in top condition and free of several critical respiratory viruses. The recent COVID-19 pandemic has made us more attuned to how vital it is to be able to quickly assess athletes’ health using a system that is highly portable and can test for multiple viruses in parallel. With the successful use of Dragonfly in Beijing, we approached ProtonDx about using this diagnostic tool during the Commonwealth Games. We appreciate our strong relationships and coordinated efforts with Team GB and ProtonDx, and value the innovative Dragonfly technology.”

Bob Enck, Chairman and President of ProtonDx, stated: “Dragonfly’s successful deployment in elite sports is a testament to the reliability, ease-of-use, and portability of the system that we saw during its use by Team GB at the Olympic Winter Games. Team Scotland wanted to access the independent infectious disease detection and testing capability that Dragonfly offers. Dragonfly is a potential game-changer in the diagnostics industry - providing quick, cost-effective, and confident results, irrespective of location. With its demonstrated value at major international sporting events, the interest in Dragonfly throughout the sporting world and other key industries is rapidly expanding across Europe.”

In June 2022, ProtonDx, announced that it had received a CE‑IVD mark for its innovative Dragonfly multi-pathogen detection diagnostic system. The robust, accurate system is poised to help revolutionise rapid infectious disease diagnosis and tracking worldwide.

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¹ Also known as the XXII Commonwealth Games and Birmingham 2022.