The phrase "heritable changes" refers to modifications or traits that can be passed on from parents to their offspring through their genes. These changes are hereditary and can influence an organism's characteristics or traits. Full definition
In the United States, such clinical trials are effectively banned by a rule that prevents the Food and Drug Administration from reviewing applications for any procedure that would introduce heritable changes in human embryos. (sciencenews.org)
Because this approach silences genes but does not introduce heritable changes into the genome, it may not be regulated as a GM product. (newscientist.com)
The researchers note that in the mammalian brain, whose cells do not divide, prions pass between cells and function as infectious agents; in yeast, they produce heritable changes from one generation to the next. (uchospitals.edu)