Richard Cannon

Biography

 Professor Cannon is a molecular microbiologist interested in how microorganisms cause oral diseases and in how treatments for patients with these diseases can be improved. His research has a number of themes, one being oral adhesion. He is interested in how oral microbes, particularly yeast, adhere and colonize surfaces in the oral cavity. He has found that saliva increases the adhesion of the yeast Candida albicans to several oral surfaces, including denture acrylics and voice prosthesis silicone. Interestingly, saliva reduced the adhesion of Staphylococcus epidermidis to the same surfaces. C. albicans is a diploid yeast that was, until recently, thought to be asexual. The yeast can, however, undergo sexual recombination in vitro, and Professor Cannon is currently investigating whether C. albicans strains can mate in the oral cavity and if so, whether the offspring can out-compete their parents. C. albicans is a polymorphic fungus that grows mainly as yeast or mycelia. Professor Cannon is using metabolomics to investigate the changes in metabolism that are associated with the change from yeast to hyphal growth. 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 in baker's yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. They are currently using S. cerevisiae strains expressing fungal efflux pumps to study pump function and to search for pump inhibitors. Professor Cannon is also using the S. cerevisiae expression system to investigate the resistance of sheep intestinal nematodes to antihelmintics.

Research Interest

 Professor Cannon is a molecular microbiologist interested in how microorganisms cause oral diseases and in how treatments for patients with these diseases can be improved. His research has a number of themes, one being oral adhesion. He is interested in how oral microbes, particularly yeast, adhere and colonize surfaces in the oral cavity.