Surgical implants can be life-changing. Millions of people across the globe have had their mobility restored due to hip or knee replacements, for example; their quality of life restored by a single operation.
But there is a darker side to implants. Studies reveal up to 5 per cent of those who receive them suffer post-operative infections, ultimately leading to long-term hospitalisation, limb loss or even death.
One Auckland PhD student and her supervisor may be on the verge of developing a solution to this pressing issue.