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Contact Details

Phone
+64 3 479 7081
Email
richard.cannon@otago.ac.nz
Position
Professor of Molecular Microbiology and Deputy Dean (Academic), Faculty of Dentistry
Department
Department of Oral Sciences
Qualifications
MA PhD(Cantab)
Research summary
Oral biology, oral microbiology and antifungal drug resistance
Teaching
Professor Cannon teaches oral microbiology to dental students, oral health students, and dental technology students

Research

Professor Cannon is a molecular microbiologist with research interests in oral microbial infections, oral biology, and tissue regeneration. He has studied the role of saliva in oral colonisation by bacteria and yeast. He has investigated the virulence genes of the oral fungal pathogen Candida albicans. Professor Cannon has applied molecular biology and metabolomic approaches to investigate dimorphism in C. albicans and the molecular basis of cancer.

A major focus of his research is the drug resistance of human fungal pathogens. He has found that clinically significant fungal drug resistance is due to energy-dependent drug efflux from the cell. His research group has developed a unique system for expressing and studying these efflux pumps, and other membrane proteins, in baker's yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. He is currently using S. cerevisiae strains expressing efflux pumps from a variety of fungi to study pump function and structure and to search for pump inhibitors. Professor Cannon also contributes to research on tissue regeneration of relevance to bone defects and periodontal disease.

Publications

Xiang, J., Zhang, Y., Bai, H., He, Y., Zhao, S., Mei, L., Cannon, R. D., … Zhai, Q. (2026). Squamous carcinoma cells drive lipid metabolic reprogramming of macrophages in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma by tunneling nanotube-mediated mitochondrial transfer. Journal of the National Cancer Center. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1016/j.jncc.2026.04.003 Journal - Research Article

Wu, T., Farella, M., Guan, S., Cannon, R. D., & Mei, L. (2026). Effects of residual adhesive debonding methods on human enamel: a scoping review. Seminars in Orthodontics, 32(3), 477-485. doi: 10.1053/j.sodo.2025.10.003 Journal - Research Article

Wu, T., Farella, M., Guan, G., Cannon, R. D., & Li, M. (2026). Nano- and microscale evaluation of human enamel after different debonding methods. American Journal of Orthodontics & Dentofacial Orthopedics. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1016/j.ajodo.2026.02.019 Journal - Research Article

Lyons, K. M., Love, R. M., Beumer, III, J., Bakr, M. M., & Cannon, R. D. (2026). The effect of saliva on the adhesion of Candida albicans to prosthodontic obturator materials. Oral, 6(1), 13. doi: 10.3390/oral6010013 Journal - Research Article

Luo, S., Lou, F., Yang, P., Zhang, Y., Yan, L., Dong, Y., … Cannon, R. D., … Jin, X. (2026). Dysregulation of oral microbial eicosapentaenoic acid induced by chronic restraint stress exacerbates periodontitis via M1 macrophage polarization. Advanced Science. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1002/advs.202521346 Journal - Research Article

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