The gene-editing technology CRISPR has the potential to treat—and possibly cure—any number of diseases. But in order for the DNA editing to happen inside you, CRISPR needs to find its way to the right part of the body.

That mostly means getting a DNA-cutting protein called Cas9, normally found in bacteria, to work in your cells. To do that, researchers are trying out some surprising delivery techniques. Here are some of them:

Gels and creams.

Among the first attempts to use CRISPR in humans is a trial planned in China for treating human papillomavirus, the most common sexually transmitted infection. Most infections cause no symptoms and go away on their own, but left to persist, HPV can cause cervical and other cancers. A vaccine to prevent HPV is available, but there are no treatments for people who already have the virus. Chinese researchers are developing a gel that contains DNA coding for the CRISPR machinery. The topical treatment is designed to inactivate the viral genes of HPV while leaving the DNA of healthy cells intact. The trial will enroll women with HPV infections; they’ll receive the gel twice a week for four weeks. The gel will be applied directly to the cervix.

Drinkable or edible CRISPR.

Resistance to antibiotics is growing in the U.S. and around the world, so much so that certain bacterial infections are becoming deadly. As an alternative to traditional antibiotics, a CRISPR pill or drinkable liquid could be one new way to fight these germs. Jan-Peter Van Pijkeren at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, along with startup companies like Eligo Bioscience and Locus Bioscience, are developing CRISPR therapies that tell harmful bacteria to make fatal cuts to its own DNA. The CRISPR mechanism would be added to “good” bacteria, or a probiotic, that a person could swallow as a pill or a liquid. Unlike antibiotics, which kill both bad and beneficial bacteria, a drinkable or edible CRISPR probiotic would be specific to a patient’s bacterial infection, only killing the harmful germs.