Avery plans to present its technology at the 2017 BIO International Convention — one of the biggest biotech events in the world — in San Diego in June.

Scientifically, the next step is to test the patch in large-animal studies using pigs, which provide a close match to humans, she said.

“There’s a lot that still needs to be done,” Koevary said, noting that induced pluripotent stem cells have been tested in just one clinical trial, a Japanese effort focused on treating the eye.

“We have to do a lot of work on the manufacturing side, in proving we can manufacture a quality product every time,” she said.

After the animal studies the company also will have to submit a rigorous lab-practices study, which the company hopes will pave the way to start human clinical trials by 2020, Koevary said.

Koevary said the company will likely need upward of $10 million to take the heart patch to human clinical trials.

Avery is working on a private investment round among friends and family, she said, adding that the company also is establishing relationships with investor groups and looking at partnerships with established biomedical companies.