Errr, no - at least I wouldn't. Not unless you don't mind losing everything done since the last "snapshot" was taken.
Prevention is ALWAYS better than cure.
AV software works in 2 ways (usually) - one is to do a periodic sweep thru the entire system searching for viruses, the second is "on the fly" inspection of files as they are read and / or written, doing a real-time inspection for virus signatures.
Frankly, I think your adviser should learn more about AV before making such recommendations. I would be interested to know their relationship to the product in question!
SD