Scabies is one of the most common infectious skin disorders worldwide, particularly among children and in tropical regions. In Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities of remote Northern Australia scabies prevalence is high and extreme rates of scabies-associated streptococcal and staphylococcal infections cause a significant public health burden. There is no scabies vaccine, only few broad-spectrum anti-parasitic drugs and no rapid molecular diagnostic test. Basic scabies biomedical research will drive the development of new diagnostics and therapeutics, to improve surveillance and management of this highly contagious disease. Central to realising this vision is an understanding of mite biology, scabies pathogenesis and the mechanisms underlying the three-way interactions of mites, bacteria and skin immunity. The presentation will provide an overview of our current research, including PoC diagnostic testing, the scabies associated microbiome and development of novel scabicides.