  Background: In this paper, we present an approach to understand how the
basic, clinical and patent knowledge on Ebola is organized and
intercommunicated and what leading factor could be shaping the evolution of the
knowledge translation process for this disease. Methodology: A combination of
citation network analysis; analysis of Medical heading Subject (MeSH) and Gene
Ontology (GO) terms, and quantitative content analysis for patents and
scientific literature, aimed to map the organization of Ebola research was
carried out. Results: We found six putative research fronts (i.e. clusters of
high interconnected papers). Three research fronts are basic research on Ebola
virus structural proteins: glycoprotein, VP40 and VP35, respectively. There is
a fourth research front of basic research papers on pathogenesis, which is the
organizing hub of Ebola research. A fifth research front is pre-clinical
research focused on vaccines and glycoproteins. Finally, a
clinical-epidemiology research front related to the disease outbreaks was
identified. The network structure of patent families shows that the dominant
design is the use of Ebola virus proteins as targets of vaccines and other
immunological treatments. Therefore, patents network organization resembles the
organization of the scientific literature. Specifically, the knowledge on Ebola
would flow from higher (clinical-epidemiology) to intermediated
(cellular-tissular pathogenesis) to lower (molecular interactions) levels of
organization. Conclusion: Our results suggest a strong reductionist approach
for Ebola research probably influenced by the lethality of the disease. On the
other hand, the ownership profile of the patent families network and the main
researches relationship with the United State Army suggest a strong involvement
of this military institution in Ebola research.
