MindBio Appoints National Drug Policy & Mining Industry Expert to Lead South American Mining Industry Commercialisation
(TheNewswire)
Vancouver, British Columbia –TheNewswire -February 24,2026 – MindBio Therapeutics Corp. (CSE: MBIO | Frankfurt: WF6| OTCQB: MBQIF) (“MindBio” or the “Company”), a biotechnologyinnovator commercializing AI-powered voice analytics for real-timedrug and alcohol impairment detection, today announced the appointmentof Felipe Leyton — one of South America’s most influential drugand alcohol policy architects and a recognized mining industry safetyauthority — to lead commercialization across the South Americanmining sector.
Mr. Leyton was part of the technical and operational implementation ofChile’s landmark Zero Tolerance framework for alcohol-impaireddriving and will now spearhead deployment of MindBio’sVoice-Initiated AI Drug & Alcohol Screening Platform into one ofthe world’s largest and highest-risk industrial markets.
This appointment represents a significant inflection point as MindBiotransitions from advanced development to commercial field deployment.
(0.b)National Policy Architect with Deep MiningIndustry Access
Felipe Leyton is widely regarded as a leading authority in alcohol anddrug public policy, mining industry safety, regulatory implementation,and evidence-based prevention strategy in South America.
He previously served as:
Head of Chile’s National Alcohol Prevention Unit
Head of National Prevention Programs
He led for several years the technical and operational implementationof Chile’s Zero Tolerance alcohol law currently in force,significantly expanding nationwide roadside control coverage andstrengthening enforcement capacity. He also contributed to the designand implementation architecture of Chile’s national roadside drugtesting program, launched in 2019.
Mr. Leyton is currently a Partner at TConsulting, (https://tconsulting.cl/) advising major Chileanmining operators, government ministries, and internationalorganizations on:
Drug and alcohol prevention strategy
Regulatory compliance
Workplace health promotion
Industrial safety culture transformation
His combination of national regulatory leadership and direct miningindustry engagement positions MindBio for accelerated enterpriseadoption.
(0.c)Strategic Commercial Mandate
Under his engagement with MindBio, Mr. Leyton will:
Develop and finalize mining-specific testing protocols withMindBio’s engineering team
Expand clinical validation and refine AI prediction models
Strengthen multi-substance detection capability including cocaine,benzodiazepines, amphetamines, cannabis, hallucinogens, and alcohol
Develop scalable enterprise licensing frameworks for miningoperators
Oversee phased deployment into active mining environments
His mandate directly targets commercial revenue generation within theSouth American mining sector.
(0.d)Edge AI Hardware Kiosk Platform Ready forField Deployment – Q2 2026
MindBio is near completion of the prototype design of its integratedEdge AI hardware-software kiosk system, purpose-built for industrialenvironments.
On-site field testing at mining operations is scheduled to commence inQ2 2026, marking a major commercial milestone.
The platform delivers:
Rapid, non-invasive screening
Real-time AI-driven impairment prediction using Voice
Scalable on-site deployment
Reduced operational friction compared to traditional biologicaltesting methods
(0.e)Large and Urgent Safety MarketOpportunity
Substance use remains a significant occupational safety risk in heavyindustry.
In Chile alone:
Alcohol consumption among mining workers exceeds 75%
Approximately 40% are classified as problem drinkers
Approximately 9% report drug use
The mining workforce exceeds 200,000 individuals
(ACHS, 2012; SENDA, 2024)
Globally, an estimated 20–25% of occupational accidents are directlyor indirectly linked to substance use (International LabourOrganization, 1996; 2022; Gomez et al., 2002).
These data underscore a substantial global opportunity for scalable,real-time impairment detection technologies in safety-criticalindustries.
Justin Hanka, CEO of MindBio, stated:
“Mr Leyton brings exceptional credibility, regulatory authority, anddirect access to the mining industry. He helped design and implementChile’s Zero Tolerance alcohol framework at a national level, and henow leads the commercialization in a world-first AI voice-basedimpairment detection platform for mining.
This marks a transition from technology development to structuredcommercial deployment. We believe this positions MindBio at theforefront of next-generation industrial safety solutions and Voiceinitiated health diagnostic technologies.”
MindBio continues to position itself at the intersection ofbiotechnology, artificial intelligence, and medical diagnostics —building scalable, non-invasive solutions designed to improve safetyoutcomes, reduce liability exposure, and modernize impairmentdetection across global high-risk industries.
For further information, please contact:
Justin Hanka, Chief ExecutiveOfficer
+61 433140886
justin@mindbiotherapeutics.com
About MindBio TherapeuticsCorp.
MindBio is a biotechnologycompany that is commercialising AI prediction technologies for drugand alcohol intoxication detection via voice analysis. The AIprediction model uses over 50 million data points to predict alcoholintoxication with remarkable accuracy, just by using the human voice.The Company is now collecting data that will allow its prediction toolto work on other types of intoxication for use in consumer andenterprise environments.
Cautionary Note ConcerningForward-Looking Statements:
The press release contains “forward-lookingstatements” within the meaning of applicable securities laws,including but not limited to, the Company’s ability to complete theOffering and option grants on the terms announced, and the developmentof its enterprise platform using voice and powered by AI for use indetecting drug and alcohol intoxication. Forward-looking statementscan be identified by words such as: “anticipate,” “intend,”“plan,” “budget,” “believe,” “project,”“estimate,” “expect,” “scheduled,” “forecast,”“strategy,” “future,” “likely,” “may,” “to be,”“could,” “would,” “should,” “will” and similarreferences to future periods or the negative or comparableterminology, as well as terms usually used in the future andconditional. Forward-looking statements are based on assumptions as ofthe date they are provided. However, there can be no assurance thatsuch assumptions will reflect the actual outcome of such items orfactors.
Additionally, there are known and unknown risk factorsthat could cause the Company’s actual results and financialconditions to differ materially from those indicated in theforward-looking statements. Therefore, you should not rely on any ofthese forward-looking statements. Important risk factors that couldcause actual results and financial conditions to differ materiallyfrom those indicated in the forward-looking statements, include amongothers: the risk that the Company may not be able to raise the grossproceeds of the Offering; the failure to obtain the final regulatoryapproval; and technical challenges in the development or deployment ofits enterprise platform; general economic,market and business conditions in Canada and Australia; marketvolatility; and unforeseen delays in timelines for any of thetransactions or events described in this press release. Allforward-looking information is qualified in its entirety by thiscautionary statement.
The Company disclaims any obligation to revise orupdate any such forward-looking statement or to publicly announce theresult of any revisions to any of the forward-looking informationcontained herein to reflect future results, events or developments,except as required by law.
Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor itsRegulation Service Provider (as that term is defined in the policiesof the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for theadequacy or accuracy of the information in this press release.
Copyright (c) 2026 TheNewswire - All rights reserved.
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