The phrase "alter the function" is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it when discussing changes or modifications to the way something operates or performs.
Example: "The engineers decided to alter the function of the software to improve its efficiency."
Alternatives: "modify the function" or "change the function."
An approach to this highly complex system would be to selectively alter the function of identified neurons within the functional neural network.
These changes alter the function of the targeted gene facilitating the analysis of gene function.
I always ask patients about their use of alternative medicines because these substances may alter the function of many organs, especially the thyroid.
"We managed to alter the function of this gateway so that these proteins can no longer get into the red blood cells, starving and killing the parasite".
Cancer-related changes in the genome often include chromosomal rearrangements that can alter the function of genes responsible for regulating cell growth and division.
Post-translational modifications (PTMs) such as acetylation, methylation, SUMOylation, ubiquitination, and phosphorylation rapidly and reversibly alter the function of cellular proteins.
Linder describes LuminAR as an augmented-reality system because the images and interfaces it projects can alter the function of a surface or object.
Similarly, the audio can be used as a control signal to alter the function of the MIDI data or to control other sonic parameters.
Those effects have been linked in turn to uncontrolled viral replication and the release of pro-inflammatory molecules and substances that alter the function of blood vessels.
The 'somatic mutation hypothesis' of cancer embraces the notion that neoplastic transformation arises from mutations that alter the function of specific genes (now called oncogenes and tumour-suppressor genes) that are critical for cell division.
Further, hydrodynamic forces can alter the function of endothelial cells.
