Her research focus is reproductive biology, particular the study of inhibin and progesterone receptors in uterine leiomyomas and ovarian cancers. One of her main achievements was the development of a novel immunoassay inhibin total (A&B) (Inhibin-TGF-β family). Development of the assay led to the successful licensing of the antibodies and assays with total royalty income to Oxford Brookes University in the U.K. of more than GBP 2 million.
She has received several research grants, most recently from the National Natural Science Foundation of China for the study of MMPs in cancer biology, and a regional grant from Guangdong province in collaboration with Xian Jiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU) for the development of a novel immunoassay to vitamin D binding proteins.
Tsigkou has a B.Sc. (hons) in biochemistry from the University of Melbourne, Australia, and a D.Phil from Oxford Brookes University. She also has a postgraduate certificate in science from Oxford Brookes. Prior to joining DKU, she was a visiting associate professor at the University of Athens Medical School and held a lecturer position at XJTLU's Department of Biological Sciences, teaching biochemistry, biotechnology and cancer biology.