The purpose of this research is to overcome the oxygen transfer limitations generally found in mammalian cell bioreactors, which most often limit the productivity of commercial scale processes using mammalian cells. Instead of developing techniques to provide more oxygen to the cells, we propose to develop strategies that allow the cells to grow normally while using little to no oxygen. The possibility for culturing cells in the presence of rotenone, respiration inhibitor, is discussed using the T cell lymphoblastoid, Jurkat, as a model. Respiration of Jurkat was completely inhibited at 40 nM rotenone. Jurkat cells were able to grow in rotenone containing media only if 1 mM pyruvate is added to the serum-free medium and addition of 1% serum helped Jurkat cells to grow at a nearly normal rate up to 65% of maximum cell density of rotenone-free culture, Inhibition of respiration reduced significantly glutamine consumption and the production of ammonia, a growth inhibitory by-product.