Dr. Ann Coker, a researcher at The Norman J. Arnold School of Public Health , has conducted one of the first studies showing that adeno-asssociated virus, called AAV, may interfere with HPV to modify a woman's risk for developing cervical neoplasia.
Cervical neoplasia shows up as lesions that can be a precursor to cervical cancer.
AAV may interfere with HPV to help protect women from developing pre-cancerous lesions that sometimes develop into cervical cancer. There are more than 100 types of HPV, some of which can be transmitted through sexual activity and are linked to the development of cervical lesions. If left untreated, these lesions can develop into cervical cancer. Like HPV, AAV also can be transmitted through sexual activity, but new studies suggest that AAV may inhibit HPV from developing into lesions or cervical cancer. South Carolina has one of the nation's highest rates of cervical cancer, Coker said.