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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

Fu, Y., Cannon, R. D., Cheng, L., Li, K. C., Ekambaram, M., Cooper, P. R., & Mei, M. L. (2026). Smart peptide-based materials and their clinical application for caries management. Journal of the American Dental Association, 157(10), 1105-1117. doi: 10.1016/j.adaj.2026.07.002 Journal - Research Article

Gil, F., Ripani, E., Joray, M. B., del Valle, M. P., Cannon, R. D., Athanassopoulos, C., … Carpinella, M. C. (2026). New acylglucoses from Solanum atriplicifolium as multidrug resistance reversal agents targeting Cdr1 and Mdr1. Plants, 15(16), 2523. doi: 10.3390/plants15162523 Journal - Research Article

Millar, J., Wu, T., Cannon, R. D., Farella, M., & Mei, L. (2026). Efficacy of air-polishing in managing biofilm formation in patients wearing fixed orthodontic appliances: A single-blind, split-mouth, randomised controlled trial. International Journal of Dental Hygiene. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1111/idh.70143 Journal - Research Article

Huang, M., Fan, D., Liu, N., Zhao, H., Chen, Y., Tang, H., … Cannon, R., … Chen, T. (2026). Trem2+ macrophages dysfunction via GAS6-MerTK axis persists despite glycemic normalization, impairing diabetic bone healing. Genes & Diseases. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1016/j.gendis.2026.102285 Journal - Research Article

Yu, M., Dai, H., Zhong, X., Li, Q., Yuan, H., Yang, Y., … Cannon, R. D., … Han, T.-L. (2026). Nanocellulose alleviates intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy via gut microbiota-mediated bile acid homeostasis. Advanced Science. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1002/advs.202518337 Journal - Research Article

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