Calcutta, Jan. 19: There’s hope for blood cancer patients in Calcutta and those suffering from other critical ailments.

Tomorrow, Singapore-based CordLife, a wholly-owned subsidiary of global cell-therapy major CyGenics Limited, will officially launch CordLife Sciences (India) Private Limited, a cord-blood bank company, to serve Calcutta.

Singapore minister Goh Chok Tong will be the guest of honour at the programme. The high commissioner of Singapore to India, CEO of the CyGenics group of companies Steven Fang and CyGenics chief scientific officer Mark Kirkland will also be present.

“Calcutta, with a population thrice that of Singapore, should be an ideal location for such a facility. We would like to use the city as a stepping stone to enter other Indian metros,” Fang had said recently.

India’s only stem cell research and banking facility, set up by LifeCell, is in Chennai.

More than 72 diseases can be treated through stem cells from cord blood. These include leukaemia, thalassaemia and anaemia, a spokesperson for CordLife Singapore said.